The Ancient (and Most Dysfunctional) House of Black
by Rangergirl3
Summary: Something I wrote - oh my GOD - seven years ago. This was one of my very first forays into fanfiction, and I've never looked back. :-) Basically imagine a 'what-if' story: What if Regulus wanted out of the Death Eaters and went to a particular person for help.
1. Author's Note

In this fic I glossed over the whole Snape/Lily thing (I really only wanted to write about Regulus and Sirius and keep most other things relatively simple - aka Lily and James were going steady and he'd grown out of being an asshole). I also made it so that Peter joined the Death Eaters from the start and Snape (insert entertaining and crazy backstory reasons here) makes up the fourth member of the Mauradors.

Again, I wrote this /ages/ ago, but it was one of the very first fics I felt comfortable sharing with other people - so here you are. :-)


	2. A Change In Plan

It was Regulus Black's fifth year at Hogwarts – only, he wasn't at school. He was at his ancestral home, Grimmauld Place, and hating every minute of it.

Regulus had officially joined the Death-Eaters six months ago during the middle of his fourth year, thinking it a good idea. Along with his deranged cousins Bellatrix and Narcissa, he had upheld the most ancient and noble name of Black by allowing the Dark Mark to be branded into his left forearm.

Since then, he'd come to regret his decision. Right before the end of his fourth year, during his first "real" Death-Eater meeting, a Muggle (known under the unfortunate name of Amelia Bogtrotter) came to an unfortunate and rather gruesome end. Regulus found, to his surprise, that the sight made him extremely uncomfortable. Initially, he'd ignored these qualms, putting it down to weakness. He would rather have undergone a heart-to-heart chat with Dumbledore than acknowledge he was possibly feeling the twinges of conscience.

As the summer began, and he saw more and more people hurt or killed in the Death-Eater raids, he realized that, intent as he was on upholding the Black family honor, he found Lord Voldemort's methods cold-blooded in the extreme. And anyway, he wasn't very good at implementing them. Shooting powerful Dark Spells at an inanimate vase in your living room was one thing – aiming them accurately, at a running figure, in the middle of a fight, when you weren't really keen on hitting the person anyway, was quite another.

His last foray with the Death Eaters had almost ended in disaster when a band of ten Aurors had surprised his band. Regulus, Bellatrix, and Narcissa, along with Lucius Malfoy and Fenrir Greyback, only managed to escape by Hexing a nearby Muggle bridge. The ensuing panic and carnage had allowed them all to get away.

Regulus winced at the memory. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring blankly at the wall. It hadn't been pleasant when he'd come home from that one. His mother, a rabid supporter of Lord Voldemort's cause, nearly Hexed him herself at the news.

"Incompetent coward! Never, not once have you proven yourself to be a true Death-Eater! You vile-"

Regulus had left, slamming the door of his room in a foul temper. Still, deluded as she was, his mother had a point. There was no denying the fact that once Lord Voldemort found out just how badly the mission had gone, he – and the rest of his band - were in for it.

At least there was one positive effect of the fiasco. He'd finally accepted the fact that he was in dark water far beyond his depth. Now the only question was how to get out of this mess.

It wouldn't be easy. The only people who would be of any real help were at Hogwarts.

Regulus smirked wryly. He was, of course, thinking of Dumbledore, Moody, and other renowned wizards, but his thoughts had also flashed upon his older brother Sirius and his gang of friends. They'd always annoyed him at school, but he thought their obnoxious stubbornness and grit might prove useful in the present circumstances.

The door squeaked open, and Kreacher poked his head inside. "Master?"

"Yeah? Oh – sure, come on in, Kreacher."

The house-elf shut the door behind him as he entered the room. Hobbling over to where his young master sat on the bed, he stared up at him. "Can Kreacher get Master something to eat? Drink?"

Regulus shook his head, brow still furrowed in thought. "I'm fine, thanks. Kreacher-what's going on downstairs?" The house-elf shook its head, looking grim.

"Mistress is in a terrible temper. She says the house of Black is forever dishonored, that Master will have to face the wrath of the Dark Lord, that–"

"I get it, I get it. So, just the usual, then?"

Kreacher nodded. Regulus sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair.

"Right. Well, why don't you just-"

He broke off, gasping with shock and discomfort as the Dark Mark on his arm suddenly writhed, burning his arm with an unnatural heat. The house-elf regarded him with dismay. "Master – is it the-"

"Yeah." Regulus ground out. "He's calling us." He rose from the bed, drawing his wand out of his robes. "Listen, Kreacher - while I'm gone, pack my trunk. Books at the bottom, clothes on top. Be ready to leave the minute I come back. I'm going to Hogwarts – I have to see some people."

Kreacher bowed low. "Whatever Master commands."

"And not a word of it to my mother. Not a single word."

The house-elf seemed slightly uneasy. "But-"

Picking up his mask from where he had laid it on the desk, Regulus strode to the center of the room. On the verge of Apparating, he gave Kreacher a stern look. "I'm the Master of this house, remember? My commands to you overrule hers." He Apparated easily.

(Since their father was dead and Sirius, to all intents and purposes as far as their mother was concerned, didn't exist – Regulus was Master of the House of Black. This included several perks as far as Apparating was concerned – only the Master and Mistress could Apparate into or out of the house itself. Everyone else used the front door.)

From downstairs, Kreacher heard Mrs. Black Apparate as well, leaving him alone in the great mansion. He glanced around the dark, cold room and shivered. Scurrying over to a bookcase, he began packing the school-trunk. Halfway through, he remembered the breakfast dishes waiting downstairs. He'd take care of those first, then finish packing.

* * *

Regulus appeared in the center of a large dark room about the same time as his mother, Fenrir Greyback, and Bellatrix. A large but dying fire burned in the huge fireplace, but aside from that, the room was absolutely devoid of any decoration or furniture.

Regulus stowed his wand away quickly and glanced around. Most of the others were already there – and at the doorway to the room was –

He dropped to one knee immediately, conscious of the others doing the exact same thing. Voldemort stayed where he was, balancing his wand between both hands. When he spoke, his voice was barely discernable, yet it carried throughout the room.

"Welcome, my Death Eaters. I have called this meeting in order to address a problem which has recently arisen among you. Although most of you have successfully fulfilled your duties -"

Regulus swallowed, his heart thumping.

"-others have not. And those who have failed will be punished."

Lucius Malfoy moved, almost imperceptibly. "My Lord," he began, his voice low and deeply respectful, "Allow us to show our competency and skill in another task, any one that you choose. I assure you, we will fulfill it to your utmost satisfaction."

Voldemort glanced down at him, eyes pale red in the dim firelight. "Lucius – what an excellent idea."

Lucius bowed again, his face hidden by his mask. "My Lord, name the task. We shall carry it out to the letter."

The Dark Lord smiled thinly. "For your sake, I hope you do."

He turned his gaze back to the silent gathering. "There is a particular family I wish for you to – " he paused, searching for the right word – "eliminate. The mother is a blood-traitor, and the father a worthless Muggle. Their offspring, though not numerous, pollute the magical world. Several years ago, we tried to dissuade them from having more–" Fenrir grinned nastily, and Voldemort continued. "-but they refused to take the hint. It's time we reminded them."

Regulus focused on keeping his mind completely blank. He didn't want to attract attention. He didn't-

"Regulus."

"Yes, my Lord?"

"You will lead this party. You have not yet proved your loyalty. Now is your chance."

Regulus bowed low. "Yes, my Lord."

"Fenrir, show them the way. Return to me once the deed is done."

Fenrir, Regulus, and the others in the band bowed once again. Fenrir got up, stretched out his huge hand, and grasped both Regulus and Lucius by their shoulders. A sudden snap, a whirl of movement, and the room disappeared.

They appeared in the middle of a grassy field, somewhere in the country. Bellatrix looked around, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Ugh- what a dirty, smelly place! Just look at that house – it's barely big enough to be called a–"

Narcissa, still wobbly from the abrupt Apparation, gave a sickly gasp. "What-Fenrir, why did you _do_ that?"

Lucius shot Fenrir a look. Since they were all wearing their masks, it was impossible to tell, but Regulus rather thought he was glaring. He turned his attention to the house in question. It was indeed small and in serious need of paint. Non-Muggle though he was, Regulus could tell the family was not well off.

He took out his wand and motioned for the others to follow him. "Keep quiet – the mother's magical. She might have noticed our arrival."

"Not likely," Fenrir growled back. "It's only noon. With any luck, there's no one home."

"So then what are we going to d-"

"We get inside and wait, you idiot. Fine beginning you're making of the mission."

Regulus ignored the jibe. He led the way forward, through the overgrown grass and towards the old front door. The name on the battered mailbox caught his eye, but he didn't stop. Halting on the front porch, he heard someone was humming inside.

Behind his left shoulder, Fenrir growled in satisfaction. "That's the girl. Parents must be out working."

The five Death Eaters raised their wands in unison. Simultaneous blasts of red and green light hit the door, blowing it off its hinges. The humming broke off and a scream of surprise and terror replaced it. It was very high-pitched, young. Fenrir was the first one through the wreckage, Bellatrix hard on his heels. Regulus barreled his way past Lucius and Narcissa and saw a young girl, no more than ten or eleven, standing in the hallway. She was frozen to the spot in terror, staring wide-eyed at them.

Fenrir reached out a hand, growling in satisfaction, but Bellatrix slapped it aside impatiently. "Let Regulus do it – it's his mission!"

Sharp, glistening canines showed though slits in the werewolf's mask, but he moved aside. Regulus strode forward, wand pointed directly at the girl's face. She whimpered.

" _Avada-_ "

He stopped, swore, and grabbed her by the shoulder. It took a full three seconds for the others to realize what he was doing. Lucius was the only one to get off a shot before Regulus Apparated.

Rather belatedly, the other three Death-Eaters reacted. Bellatrix shot off an Avada Kedavra, Fenrir lunged forward, and Narcissa's mouth dropped open. She stood stock still, mouth agape, for a few more seconds, then finally managed to ask a question.

"Did he just-"

Fenrir's roar of fury cut her off, along with Bellatrix's screams. Lucius turned and looked at the others. "Calm down – I think I know where he went." He grabbed hold of Narcissa, but Bellatrix turned to him fiercely.

"Wait – we should get the parents, at least!"

"And risk losing the girl and Regulus?" Lucius asked skeptically. "Fine – stay here if you want. But you'll be the one who gets to tell the Dark Lord about the escape of a mudblood and a traitor." Fenrir grabbed hold of Bellatrix's shoulder. "He's right – we've got to go after Black first."

"Fine," she snarled, jerking free. "Lucius, where to?"

Lucius smiled tightly. "That's simple. Home."

* * *

The first thing Regulus said as he appeared in the hallway of his ancestral home was unprintable. The girl he had just saved was on the floor, white and shaking, having just been violently sick on the ancient carpet, and he was quite sure the spell Lucius had fired at him was – yes, it was.

"KREATCHER!" he bellowed, ripping off his mask. Red, oozing sores were breaking out across his torso and left arm and he swore again as a fierce wave of painful heat lanced across his chest.

A pop and the house-elf stood before him, a frying pan in one hand, dish-towel in the other. His already bulbous eyes almost popped out of his head at the sight in the hallway.

"Master – what-"

Regulus grabbed the frying pan from him, dropped it on the floor, pointed his wand at it, and began grating out a complex incantation. Silver threads leapt out of the wand-tip and wove around the battered cooking utensil.

"Get the trunk," he shot at Kreacher. The house-elf Apparated immediately. Regulus turned his wand onto himself and uttered the counter-spell. The sores disappeared with a sucking sound. Grimacing, he bent down and grabbed the girl again. She seemed to be in shock.

"Hurry up!" he yelled up the stairs, wondering why the elf was taking so long.

Four sharp pops sounded sharply outside the front door. Regulus whirled around, wand out, pulling the girl behind him. They would be in any minute – at least they hadn't been able to Apparate inside the hallway – those preventive spells were apparently worth something after all –

"TRAITOR!" Bellatrix's voice was shrill, almost above the range of human hearing. She continued screaming as more violent bangs sounded against the door.

"KREATCHER, GET DOWN HERE!"

With a faint pop, the elf reappeared, lugging the green trunk with him. Regulus grabbed him around the neck and pulled him closer, just as the door began to splinter. Holding onto both the girl and the house-elf, he caught hold of the make-shift Port Key. For the second time in as many minutes, Antonia Lupin was whisked away from four Death-Eaters as they barreled towards her.


	3. Back To School

With (yet another) violent thud, the three of them landed on a hill. The trunk bounced once, landed on its side, and stayed still. Kreacher got up, groaning. His master lay on the ground, eyes shut, pale as a corpse. The Muggle girl wasn't much better. The only difference between the two was the rather pathetic way the girl kept moaning. You'd think she'd never used a Port-Key before, much less Apparated.

He looked around, noticing for the first time that they had landed by a small village. There was a long dirt road leading across more hills and fields, up to –

Kreacher made a noise somewhere between a yelp and a gasp, sat down again, and clutched at his heart. The girl got to her hands and knees, finally managing a coherent string of words.

"Where – are we?"

"Hogsmeade."

Kreacher whirled around, eyes wide. "Master Black – are you –"

"Yeah, I'm fine." An obvious understatement, as he still looked quite pale. On the positive side, he had gotten to his feet and was pulling the girl up.

"All right, let me guess – you're a Lupin, so, it'll be a Roman name. Portia? Octavia?"

The girl had caught her breath. "An – Antonia."

"I'm Regulus. And that's Kreacher – he's my servant." Kreacher bowed out of habit, not quite knowing what else to do. Regulus turned away from the girl and looked down at the village. "With any luck, we'll be able to get up to the castle without trouble. Although we might look kind of suspicious-"

"What – what are we-"

"That castle up there is Hogwarts, where Albus Dumbledore lives. He's the man we want to see. Look, I'm going to have to Disillusion you. That way we'll get through the village with less trouble-" The girl's already huge eyes got wider and she started backing away. Regulus dragged a hand over his face.

"It's not going to hurt, it's just a –"

"Master, maybe we should-" Kreacher began, looking uneasily at the girl.

"Look, Kreacher, now isn't the best-"

Antonia turned and ran towards the village. Regulus gaped after her. "What the – I just – "

Kreacher hopped up and down in trepidation. "Master, she'll raise an alarm! You have the Dark Mark – they'll-"

Regulus had already begun to sprint down the hill. When he caught up with the girl, he'd explain the situation to her.

* * *

Hogwarts' thousandth-anniversary celebration was going to be the most spectacular event ever planned in the history of the wizarding world. One of the star students, Lily Evans, had volunteered to come back to the school a week early, to help with the preparations. Albus Dumbledore had accepted her offer with sincere gratitude.

"Could I come too, Headmaster?" James Potter had asked, eyes bright with anticipation.

A smile had twitched at the corners of Dumbledore's mouth. "Presumably these three would like to come as well?"

The three in question, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Severus Snape, nodded.

The five students were all standing in the Headmaster's office. (This request had taken place after their last final.)

"I see," Dumbledore mused. "And what, exactly, prompted this generous outburst of volunteerism?"

Sirius grinned, sweeping his black hair out of his eyes. "Well, you see, Headmaster, Lily's volunteering, so James is volunteering, so-"

"you'd like to come, and – naturally – Remus and Severus would like to join in."

Remus smiled and nodded eagerly, while Snape's mouth twitched. "That's more or less the reasoning," he remarked.

"Well…" Dumbledore's bright blue eyes twinkled. "I don't see why not."

The five seventh-year students had shown up, as expected, on the first Saturday of August and gotten right down to work. Lupin and Snape tided and inventoried the Potions classroom while Sirius repaired the worn-out Quidditch equipment. James and Lily, to no one's surprise, had worked on organizing the library together. Their help had allowed the teachers to focus their energies on the preparations for the celebration.

At the moment, the five of them were all taking a well-earned break. Lily was reading a book up in her room while the four boys enjoyed huge mugs of butter-beer in the Hogshead Inn. By a great window that overlooked the valley, Sirius Black and James Potter sat across from Remus Lupin, whose hands moved back and forth, gesturing expressively. He was telling them all about his younger sister Antonia, of whom he was obviously quite proud.

"Yeah, so, she got her letter two weeks ago, and she'll be coming out in a week. Mom and Dad are going to take her shopping for all her stuff tomorrow – she's really excited –"

Severus Snape grinned into his mug of Butterbeer. He'd been quiet for the last few minutes, allowing Lupin to expound about Antonia. Now, he placed his glass back on the table and leaned back in his chair.

"So, she'll get her wand at Ollivander's, then?"

"Yeah, and she's going to get a cat and some dress robes – my old cauldron and things are going to her. You should hear her chatter – it's actually really cute-"

James smiled widely. "Weird to think of us ever being that age."

Sirius' mouth twitched. "Or 'cute'."

Snape rolled his eyes. "You were never 'cute'. Even as a child, your evil and twisted nature was there for the entire world to see-"

Sirius' chair, which had been balanced precariously on the back two legs, came thudding down as he opened his mouth to fire back a stinging retort. He was rudely cut off as the front door swung open and a young girl ran into the room, shrieking at the top of her voice. She wore Muggle clothes, (torn jeans and a T-shirt), and her blond hair was wild and disheveled. Upon seeing Lupin, she changed her trajectory and ran into him.

"Remus!" she wailed, hugging him as tight as she could. His face contorted into a disconcerting mixture of surprise, confusion, and concern.

"Antonia – what – are you okay? How did you get here?"

"Death Eaters – one's chasing me –"

Lupin's face went an odd pasty color. Sirius and James leapt to their feet and charged towards the front door, wands at the ready, while Snape turned and called for Aberforth at the top of his voice.

* * *

Regulus was a foot away from the great oak door when it slammed into his face. Clutching his bleeding nose, he fell backwards onto the dirt path as two figures barreled out of the Hogshead's front door. Eyes watering, he coughed and shook his head in an effort to clear it. His hood slipped back just as James shouted a spell.

" _Expelliarmus_!" Regulus' wand went spinning into Potter's outstretched hand. Sirius let out a confused shout.

"Regulus?"

Regulus winced. This beginning wasn't promising. His older brother gaped down at him, taken off guard.

"What are – what're you doing here?"

The reply was semi-muffled. "I'm hede tod see Dumbledored. It's vedy impordant."

James and Sirius exchanged side-long glances, but before they could reply, Aberforth barreled out of the door, eyes blazing bright blue.

" _Where is he?_ " He roared, gaze flashing from face to face. " _Death Eaters in my village, I'll –"_

Noticing the blood-splattered form on the ground, he brought his wand to bear. Regulus' eyes widened and he backpedaled frantically.

"Nod you, nod you, Albus, Albus Dumbedored, the Headmaster," he said quickly, the words tumbling out of his mouth much too fast. Aberforth grunted, stepped forward, and grabbed hold of Regulus' left arm. He pulled him upright and shoved him forward, herding them all back inside. "Get in," he growled. "Go on, faster, faster! I don't want us out in the open."

Sirius ducked back inside the pub, James following him. Once the door was closed and bolted, Regulus found himself slammed against the wall, with Aberforth's wand-tip inches away from his eye. James raced over to the windows and began fortifying them, while Sirius leapt over an overturned chair and came closer. Snape caught hold of his sleeve.

"Sirius – is that-"

"Yeah," Sirius grated out, "but I don't know what he's up to-"

"So," Aberforth growled, "what are you doing in my town?" Regulus began to stammer something, but Lupin's regulated voice cut across his sentence.

"James, Sirius, Aberforth – Antonia wants to tell us something." He was standing behind Aberforth, wand out, one arm around Antonia in a very protective manner. His grey eyes did not leave Regulus for an instant.

A frizzy, tousled head of blond hair peeped out from between Aberforth and Lupin. A piping voice cut the air. "He's the one – Remus, he's the one who saved me!" All eyes turned to her. Sirius seemed dubious. "You're sure?" he asked.

"Yes – he's the one - he had an elf with him, but there wasn't anyone else."

"An elf?" James asked. Sirius shot his brother a fiery look. "Kreacher – was it Kreacher?"

The younger brother nodded, keeping his eyes on Aberforth's wand. "He's my – my servant," he managed. Snape, standing behind Aberforth, noticed that the youngest member of the Black family kept his hands by his sides, as if anxious not to provoke Aberforth.

Aberforth grunted. "Call him, then."

Regulus swallowed. "Kreacher, reveal yourself." A _pop_ sounded, and Kreacher stood by Regulus' side. His dirty pillowcase hung limp around his figure, and his huge eyes were wide in terror. He made no sudden movements, but clung like a limpet to his master's side.

Sirius grunted, folding his arms. "Okay – so _that_ part checks out."

"Are there any other Death Eaters with you?" Aberforth asked.

"N-no, just me – and Kreacher."

"What – exactly," James said slowly, "- is going on here?"

"I told you, I've got to see Albus Dumbledore at once," Regulus replied. His nose had stopped bleeding, but his had voice had steadied slightly. "It'll save us all a lot of trouble if it happens sooner rather than later. And we'll need to send somebody-" here he nodded at Remus and Antonia "- to your house to get your parents. We've got to move fast – they might already be-"

Aberforth cut him off. "Snape, cover him. I'm going to tell Albus what's going on." Severus came forward, and Aberforth moved quickly towards the fireplace. Regulus didn't move, and neither did Kreacher.

While Aberforth talked to his brother via Floo Powder, James hovered by the door, Sirius leaned against the table, and Remus clung tightly to his sister's shoulder. They stayed that way until Aberforth returned. He glanced at Remus and Antonia.

"Moody's already gone to fetch your parents. They should be back in fifteen minutes. Also, the Headmaster wants you lot back up to Hogwarts immediately. He especially wants to see you." He shot a meaningful look at Regulus.

"We'll take him up," James said. "We came down on brooms – we'll just fly back."

"Right," said Sirius, jumping to attention. "Let's go." Snape made as if to protest, but Sirius cut him off.

"It's the fastest way up. Come on – we'll go in pairs."

Snape's shoulders slumped slightly. "Fine – but I am _not_ riding with you. That's asking for a broken limb."

Antonia tensed, but Lupin patted her shoulder reassuringly. "You'll like it – its fun. You'll go up with me."

"But-" Her voice quivered. "What – what about Mu-Mum and Dad?"

His face was taunt, but he attempted a smile for her sake. "We'll meet them up there. Come on, we've got to go."

Sirius grunted and shot a look at his younger brother. "Guess that leaves me with you, then." Regulus didn't answer – he still regarded Aberforth with wary caution.

"How am I going to get past the front gate with this?" He gestured to his left forearm. Aberforth's eyebrows knitted together in what appeared to be disgust. "You'll deal with that when you get up to the castle. Now - MOVE!"

* * *

The six left the pub and headed back up towards Hogwarts. Aberforth told them that he'd send Kreacher up to the castle shortly, once things calmed down. On the way up, Snape nearly fell off three times. Only James' skills as a Seeker prevented awkward accidents. Antonia, on the other hand, enjoyed herself immensely. Sirius and Regulus remained silent.

Professor McGonagall was waiting for them at the front gate. Ushering them in, she brought them up to the Great Hall. Dumbledore and Lily were waiting for them outside the two great doors. Lily stepped forward and offered her hand to Antonia.

"Come on, Antonia," she said with a bright smile. "I'm going to take you up to the Hospital Wing, just to make sure you're all right." Antonia shied back and looked up at Lupin questioningly.

"It's all right," he told her. "This is Lily. She's great."

Antonia brightened at the name. "Lily? The one James is dating?"

James' ears went pink and Lily laughed. "That's right – you and I are going to have a great time once we're done with your check-up. I'm baking in the kitchens, and I need a taste-tester. Do you like chocolate chip cookies?"

Antonia nodded, smiling a little. Lily led her down the corridor and up the stairs, explaining the portraits as they went along. Once they were out of sight, Dumbledore's face hardened and he glanced at Regulus.

"Let's go up to my office, shall we?"

They processed along four more corridors and six staircases, Dumbledore leading the way, with the others right behind him. Upon reaching the gargoyle, they halted. With a wave of the hand, Dumbledore opened the doorway and they all stepped inside. Professor Moody, Mr. Lupin, and Mrs. Lupin were already in the room. Both parents looked unharmed, although their faces were drawn and harried-looking. Remus dashed over to them

"Mom! Dad! Are you-"

"Yes, but – Antonia – Remus, is she-"

"Yeah, she's fine, Lily took her up to the hospital wing just now-"

"I thought you said she was all right!"

"She is, it's just for precaution's sake-"

"Can we see her? Are we able to-"

"Yes, yes, of course," Dumbledore said quickly. He had sat down in his great chair. "Lupin, why don't you take them up there?"

Lupin hesitated for an instant. Sirius understood his quandary. "Go on, mate," he whispered, nudging him towards the door. "We'll fill you in on the details later."

Once the Lupins had gone, Albus walked over to his chair while the three remaining Marauders spread out along the room, taking up various positions along the many silver instruments. Snape stood near Fawkes' stand, while Sirius leaned against the right side of the fireplace, James beside him. Regulus remained where he was, standing between Professors Moody and McGonagall in the center of the room.

"So." That was Dumbledore, who had turned to face him.

"You saved Antonia Lupin?"

Regulus nodded.

"Under the noses of four Death Eaters?"

Regulus nodded again, more slowly this time. Sweat trickled down his back.

"The real question is," Moody said, "what were you doing with them _?_ "

* * *

Regulus thought it was best to be honest. He told them everything, from the day he'd had the Dark Mark burned into his left arm to the time when he'd Port-Keyed himself, Antonia, and Kreacher into Hogsmeade. His audience listened, faces stern, eyes grim. At the end of Regulus' tale, Dumbledore leaned forward in his chair and looked directly at him.

"Master Black. If your story is true, you deserve commendation." Moody coughed loudly, but Albus continued. "On the other hand, if it is not true -" Professor McGonagall looked hard at Regulus, while Sirius shifted his balance. "-you shall receive a one-way ticket to Azkaban."

Regulus' reply to this statement was delayed by the arrival of Madame Pomfrey's report from the hospital wing. The plump nurse's face appeared in the fireplace, startling James so much that he overbalanced and fell onto the floor.

"Antonia's quite all right, sir. Aside from a bit of shock, she's the picture of health. No traces of an Imperious or a Confundus of any kind."

"Thank you, Madame Pomfrey. I'll be down in a moment." The healer's face disappeared, and Albus turned towards Snape. "Severus, do you know how long until the Veritaserum is ready?"

Regulus had expected this. A dose of Veritaserum would be the surest way to ensure that he was telling the truth.

Snape thought for a moment. "Fifteen days, sir."

James' eyebrows jumped, while Sirius made a noise in his throat. Dumbledore seemed thoughtful.

"I say we Cruciatus him," muttered Moody. Regulus tensed, while Minerva shot the Auror a repulsed sort of look, the one usually reserved for something stuck under one's shoe.

"Certainly not!" she exclaimed. "That's a despicable idea!"

"Who's to say _he's_ never used it?" Moody shot back. "Anyway, it beats going for fifteen days without knowing for certain if he's genuine."

Sirius' head had jerked up at this proposal. "Oi!" he barked. "Not a fan of the Cruciatus!" James shook his head violently and Snape opened his mouth to support (for once) Black's position-

"Absolutely not." Albus' voice had lost its usual jollity. Now it was cold and flat as steel. "We will wait for the Veritaserum."

"What about the Imperius?"

"Alastor."

Moody fell silent, scowling. Regulus swallowed nervously, his gaze flitting across every face. Snape seemed impassive as ever, while James looked at him with obvious mistrust. Sirius' gaze was firmly fixed on the floor by Regulus' boots. Minerva and Moody were looking at the Headmaster. He nerved himself and looked at Albus Dumbledore full in the eye.

"Headmaster, I am telling the truth. I will do anything – anything – you want in order to prove that to you."

Snape's right hand twitched, James' eyebrows furrowed, and Sirius looked up at Regulus for the first time. Minerva's mouth twitched approvingly, while Moody merely snorted. Albus nodded once, never breaking eye contact with Regulus.

"In fifteen days, the Veritaserum will be ready. In the meantime, you, Regulus, will be under constant vigilance. You are not to leave the grounds under any circumstances whatever. If I hear of even one instance of Death Eater activity, and you are at all involved in it, I will notify the Ministry – and you will be sent to Azkaban. This is your only warning."

Regulus swallowed. "Yes, sir."

After a moment's silence, he ventured a question. "Sir – about Kreacher – "

"He's already in to the castle. He is also banned from leaving the grounds."

"Yes, sir."

"Very well - that is all. You may go."

* * *

Regulus left the room hurriedly, going straight down to his dormitory. He opened the door and saw that Kreacher had placed his trunk at the foot of his bed. Striding over to it, he opened it up. He might as well put his stuff away and change into a clean set of robes – the ones he had on were covered in grass-stains, sweat, and old blood.

His books were, indeed, stacked neatly, right by his Quidditch gear. However –

Regulus's mouth quirked oddly. He closed the trunk's lid and called for his servant. The house-elf appeared by the foot of the bed and bowed.

"Master?"

"Did we leave before you packed my clothes?"

The house-elf's eyes took on a dismayed look and he clapped a wrinkly hand to his head. "Oh – y-yes, we did. Master came back so quickly – Kreacher didn't-"

Regulus waved a hand tiredly. "It's fine, it's fine. Just checking." He ran a hand through his hair, obviously thinking. Kreacher stood still, waiting for further orders. After a few seconds, Regulus gave a short bark of dry laughter.

"This _is_ a fine mess," he said to himself. Turning to Kreacher, he spoke sincerely. "Kreacher, forget about the trunk. I just wanted – um, I – "

The house-elf waited, not knowing what to do. Regulus sighed.

"I'm sorry I got you into this. I didn't think I'd leave so fast – I'd hoped – well, I'm not sure what I was hoping for."

Kreacher shuffled his feet awkwardly. "Master knows that Kreacher will always serve him," he said finally.

His master's face broke into a slight smile. "I know – thanks, Kreacher. For now – why don't you go on down to the kitchens? I'll call you if I need you." Kreacher bowed and disappeared with a sharp _crack_. Regulus turned back towards the door, smiling despite himself.

This was going to be interesting.


	4. Quality Time

Sirius was lying on one of the couches in Gryffindor Common Room, feet propped up on one of the armrests. James sat in his usual chair and Snape leaned against the wall. The door in the wall swung open, and Lupin entered.

"How's Antonia? And your parents?" James asked as Remus came into the room and sat down in a third chair. Lupin's face was drawn.

"They're fine. Antonia and Mom are helping Lily in the kitchen, and Dad's gone to the Ministry with Moody to report the attack. They'll be staying with Hagrid until we can find a new house."

Sirius' head jerked towards Lupin. "A new house? But what about –"

Lupin looked very tired. "We can't go back. The Death-Eaters torched it."

"Oh."

There was a short pause, broken by Snape's voice. "Well, at least you lot weren't in it."

"Sorry, mate," Sirius muttered.

Lupin shrugged. "Severus is right. We'll manage."

James coughed. "Is that why your mom and dad were so – um, worried?"

Lupin nodded. "They thought Antonia was still inside. Moody had to stop them from going in."

James' eyebrows jumped, then knitted together. "Good thing Regulus warned us, then, wasn't it?"

Sirius grunted, Snape looked the same as ever, and Lupin's eyes flickered. "Speaking of which – what happened in Dumbledore's study?"

James opened his mouth to answer, but just then, Dobby, Kreacher, and two other house-elves appeared with supper. They laid it upon the table in front of the fireplace, bowed, and vanished. Sirius' gaze remained firmly fixed upon Kreacher, who seemed to regard him with equal wariness.

James again opened his mouth to answer, but the arrival of Lily, Antonia, and Mrs. Lupin interrupted him. As Lily opened the portrait and ushered the two visitors inside, James decided to wait until later to fill Remus in on the details.

"We'll have dinner, then get you situated down at Hagrid's," Lily told them as they crossed the room. Mrs. Lupin smiled, her dark brown eyes sparkling. "Thank you all so much," she said. Lupin pulled a chair out for her, and she sat down gracefully. Antonia looked around, eyes wide in wonder.

"Wow!" she exclaimed. "Remus – is this where you guys live?"

"Most of us, yes," Lupin answered, pulling out a chair for his younger sister. "Severus is a Slytherin – so he lives down underneath the lake. He's visiting us at the moment." Snape saw Antonia look at him and responded with a slight smile. She smiled back and looked around the room again.

"Wow," she breathed. James, Lily, and Sirius couldn't hide their grins. James poured the drinks and they began the meal. As they ate, Mrs. Lupin told them all that her husband was out looking for houses. "Apparently, he might have already found one," she said. "There's a newly-married couple, Arthur and Molly Weasley – have you heard of them?"

Sirius shook his head, but James perked up. "Doesn't he deal with the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts?"

"Yes, that's him – well, he and his wife might know of a cottage where we can live."

"That's great, Mom!" Remus exclaimed. She smiled fondly at him, running her hand briefly through Antonia's hair.

"I'm just so glad you're both all right – " she began, but broke off, looking around. "Was that a knock?"

Remus made as if to get up, but Sirius jumped up first. "I got it, I got it –" he called over his shoulder as he darted to the door. Swinging it open, he found himself staring at his younger brother. Both remained silent for about five seconds.

"Um…hi." Regulus said.

"Hi. Um…did you…want something?" Sirius hazarded, still trying to think of a reason why Regulus would want to come all the way up to Gryffindor Tower.

"I need – I wondered if I could borrow –"

Sirius' eyebrow rose slightly.

"-some of your old robes?"

Sirius blinked. "Huh?"

"Kreacher forgot – well, we left in such a hurry, and I was hoping-"

"Sure, sure. Uh – they may not fit you, but-"

James' voice called out from behind Sirius. "Hey, Sirius – who is that?"

Regulus started back a pace, and Sirius jumped. He cast a look over his shoulder, then back at Regulus. "We were just eating dinner," he explained.

"Oh, right, well, I'll be going-"

Regulus started to turn and head back down towards the stairs, but Sirius called him back.

"Hey-" he said. "You hungry?"

Regulus blinked in his turn. "Yeah, but-"

Catching hold of his arm, Sirius pulled him into the room. Before Regulus realized what was happening, he'd been seated at the end of the table and Sirius had pushed a plate of food towards him, along with a goblet of pumpkin juice.

Antonia let out a cry of recognition. "Mom – that's Regulus! He's the one who saved me!"

Mrs. Lupin nearly dropped her goblet. "Really?" She turned back towards Regulus, who'd gone an interesting mixture of red and white. "That was you?"

Feeling hot all over, Regulus nodded, keeping his eyes on the tablecloth. To his (and everyone else's) great surprise, Mrs. Lupin hugged him. His ears went bright red, and he only managed to mumble out a non-distinguishable something to her profuse thanks.

* * *

The rest of the dinner conversation consisted mainly of the others describing first year traditions to both Mrs. Lupin and Antonia. Before dessert was served, Severus excused himself. He had a few things to take of in the Potions room.

After the meal was finished, Lily took Antonia and Mrs. Lupin down to Hagrid's hut. Remus went with them, leaving Sirius, James, and Regulus alone in the room.

"Hold on a sec," Sirius told Regulus. He leapt up the steps and bounded into his dormitory, leaving Regulus and James staring at each other. James folded his arms and leaned against the fireplace.

"So," he said after a few awkward moments, "you ready for classes?"

Regulus shrugged. "I've got to go over Potions, but I think that's it. I've got most of my books with me."

James's mouth quirked. "But not your wardrobe?" he asked dryly. Regulus shrugged. "No."

A victorious shout from upstairs carried down to them. "Ah-ha! Got 'em!"

Sirius returned, carrying a pile of black and red cloth.

"'Fraid they've all got the Gryffindor lion on 'em," he remarked, handing the pile to Regulus.

"I'll manage," he said. He turned to leave, stopped, and turned back to face Sirius. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Regulus left, feeling James' eyes follow him out the door and down the stairs. As the door swung shut behind him, James turned back to face his old friend. "Right," he said sharply, "when Remus gets back, we've got to fill him in on what Dumbledore told us."

Sirius looked pensive. "Yeah, yeah. Sure." He shot his friend a look. "Dumbledore confiscated his wand, right?"

James assumed he was referring to Regulus and nodded. "For the time being, anyway."

"Right, right." Sirius pondered something for a further minute, then shook himself. He threw himself across the couch again, crossing his arms behind his head. "Well, I'm glad of that. Did Snape head off to the Potions room?"

James sank into a comfy chair. "Yeah – he'll be back up soon. I think he's experimenting with a potion for Lupin."

"What – the Wolfsbane thing?"

"I think so. Supposed to help with the transformation – it might even help him keep his mind while in wolf form."

Sirius sat up, eyes widening. "Really? Sheesh – that would be great."

James smiled. "You're telling me. But don't say anything to Remus about it – Snape's not sure if it'll work the first time."

* * *

Snape, meanwhile, had finished adding the appropriate ingredients to the primitive Wolfsbane Potion and checked on the Veritaserum. Everything seemed to be going well. As he left the classroom, he put several Hexes on the door – just to be safe. As the last one sank, invisible, into the stonework, he turned and headed back towards his dormitory. Once he'd fetched his sixth-year Potions book, he'd return to the Gryffindor Common Room. Then he and the others could make a plan for observing Regulus at all hours of the day.

Mentally, Snape rolled his eyes. Babysitting a 'repentant' Death-Eater was the last thing he wanted to be doing with his time.

Entering his common room, he stopped short. Kreacher was scrubbing the floor – that wasn't so odd, really, house-elves did most of the cleaning around Hogwarts – but Regulus Black was on his hands and knees beside Kreacher, sleeves rolled up and scrubbing away, energetic as you please. When Snape commented, Regulus shrugged and said something about being useful.

Pondering this event, Snape headed back up the stairs. He met Lupin half-way to the Gryffindor Common Room. They fell into step beside one another. Snape noticed that Remus seemed far more cheerful than he had at dinner.

"What's going on?"

Practically beaming, Remus told him. His father and Professor Moody had returned from the Ministry with terrific news. Apparently, the Weasleys lived in a giant, rambling house known affectionately as "The Burrow", out in the middle of the country, and were only to happy to offer the Lupins a nearby cottage. Mr. Lupin had explained Remus' condition to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, but the pair still held firm in their offer. Remus, they said, had been vouched for by Dumbledore himself, and that was enough for them.

"Congratulations," Snape told him. "That's great news, Remus."

Remus grinned wider than ever. They entered the Common Room together. Lupin repeated the news to Sirius and James. Both expressed their gladness at the news.

"They've worked it all out – my folks will stay at Hagrid's for the rest of the week, to give the Weasleys time to prepare the cottage. Antonia's ecstatic – she'll get her wand over the weekend and still be able to come up with the other first-years."

"So – your family's all right, then?" asked Sirius. He seemed very glad of the fact, feet up on the table, chair tilted back. A half-filled goblet of pumpkin juice was in his left hand.

"Yeah, they're fine." Lupin's face fell into a more serious expression. "Now it's your turn – what happened in Dumbledore's study?"

James filled him in, while Snape supplied what he had just seen in the Slytherin common room. That's when Sirius coughed and sprayed pumpkin juice all over the table. Lily wrinkled her nose a little, but remained silent. She'd returned right after Remus and Snape and was now sitting in another armchair, right beside James.

"That's – new," Sirius finally managed, after James slapped him on the back. Snape grinned. "Well, at least he's making himself useful. Even better – my dormitory is clean."

Remus took a swig of his pumpkin juice. Since Snape was also a Slytherin, he was able to keep a closer eye on Regulus than the rest of them might. He pointed this out, and James told him that Dumbledore had emphasized this to them in his study after Regulus left.

"You must all work together," Albus had said sternly. "Report to Alastor, Minerva, or me if you see anything suspicious."

"Constant vigilance," Moody had admonished. Minerva had nodded.

"If this is a Death-Eater plot, it will be far too big a job for you to tackle alone. Don't try anything foolish," she had said, shooting a severe look at Sirius, who grinned back at her.

"Yes, ma'm," he had said.

Lupin appeared not to be listening to the narrative. He was sitting up very straight in his chair, ears pricked. Lily shifted in her seat, while James let go of her hand and leaned forward, drawing his wand.

"Remus?"

"Can you hear that?" Lupin asked, eyes half-shut. The other four glanced at one another.

"No," Sirius answered truthfully. "What –"

"Shh. I think - it's coming from downstairs."

" _What's_ coming from-"

Sirius' question was cut short by a sharp _crack_. Kreacher appeared in the middle of the room, distraught. His fingers were red, his eyes wide and staring.

"Master Black – Kreacher didn't know what to do –"

Sirius leapt to his feet, wand out. Snape started to his feet and Lupin jumped out of his chair.

"What's wrong?" Sirius thundered at the elf. "Who is it?"

"Master-Master Regulus-he's hurt, the Dark Mark-"

Sirius was half-way out the door, Snape and Lupin right behind him. James darted after them, stopped, turned towards Lily, obviously torn. She caught his arm.

"It could be a trap - be careful!"

He nodded. She blinked furiously and motioned towards the door. "I'll contact Dumbledore. Just – stay alert."

He nodded again, then darted out after his friends. Lily shut the door and wove a protective spell around the dark wood. That task finished, she ran to the fireplace and threw Floo Powder into the flames. She stuck her head into the flames, spoke Albus' Dumbledore's name.

"Professor! Something's happening in the dungeon – something's wrong with Regulus. They've gone down to investigate – I'm not sure what-"

She stopped, listened to his instructions. "Yes, sir. I'll tell Hagrid." She took her head out of the fireplace, grabbed some more powder, and spoke Hagrid's name.

* * *

Down in the dungeon, Regulus was on his knees in the middle of a hallway, gasping. The Dark Mark writhed on his arm, the snake hissing. Blood trickled from its eyes, and the skin around the mark was beginning to char. He'd ripped the sleeve open, but –

Kreacher Apparated at his side, panting. "Kreacher fetched help, sir. They're coming. Are you-"

Regulus hissed between his teeth. "It's getting worse."

At the sound of pounding footsteps, he looked up. Sirius skidded to a halt before him, breathing heavily. "What's all the-"

He saw the arm and started back. "WHAT THE HE—"

Snape appeared by him, took one look, and headed for the Potions room at the end of the hallway. "Hoi," Sirius shouted after him, "what're you-"

Snape ran a hand down the door and muttered something. The door swung open. With a snap of his black robes, he vanished inside. Lupin stayed by the door, wand out and eyes alert. James came to a halt beside the two Black brothers, gasping.

At that moment, Snape called Lupin's name. Remus ducked inside the room and emerged a second later with a small vial.

"Here – this'll help - "

Sirius, on his knees beside Regulus, saw his brother's eyes begin to roll back in his head and shouted in impatience. "Come on! Hurry up!"

Without further delay, James took the vial and smeared the golden liquid over the Dark Mark. Immediately, the flesh ceased smoking and the snake's eyes lost their malevolent glow. The eyes scabbed over, and Regulus let out a long breath, sweat beading his face.

"Thanks," he gasped.

"Yeah…" Sirius managed. "Does it – uh – "

"Usually do that?" Regulus asked, a sickly grin at the corners of his mouth. "Not to that extent."

"What do you mean, 'to that extent'? You mean to tell me that it _burns_ your _arm_ regularl–"

"It's a summons," Regulus broke in. His face had regained some of its usual color. "It calls us to meetings."

"And it – does that – when you don't obey?" James asked. Regulus looked at him, getting to his feet.

"Apparently. I've never resisted a summons before."

Further conversation was cut short as Professor Moody appeared literally out of thin air. His wand was out and his gaze was fixed firmly on the group in the hallway. James jumped backwards and Kreacher cowered behind Regulus.

"What's the disturbance?" Moody asked sharply. Just then, Snape came out of the Potions room and sealed the door. Once finished, he turned and addressed Moody with subdued respect.

"The Dark Mark was giving Regulus some trouble. We took care of it – and, in the meantime, the Veritaserum was not tampered with. None of the safeguards were disturbed."

Moody grunted. "Good." He looked up and down the corridor before stowing his wand away. He came over and looked at Regulus' arm.

"So – that's the Dark Mark, is it?"

Regulus felt a sudden urge to hide his arm from view. He resisted the temptation.

"Yes," he replied. Moody regarded it with something approaching both interest and disgust.

"Well, I'll go report to Albus, then," he said. Without any warning whatsoever, he vanished.

James started. "I _hate_ it when they do that," he muttered. Snape chuckled.

"Get used to it, Potter. Aurors do it all the time."


	5. Probation

Over the next few days, Regulus helped out around the castle. Sometimes he shelved books in the library, at other times he helped repair Quidditch equipment. Once, he'd gathered items from the greenhouse for Snape, who apparently was working on a new sort of potion. More often then not, he spent his time in the Slytherin dormitory, helping Kreacher clean the windows and wash the floors.

One day, Moody showed up and told him to come down to Hagrid's hut. Regulus complied promptly, finding Mr. Lupin hard at work. He was sawing wood into chairs, a table, and bed frames. Seeing Regulus approaching, he placed his tools on the ground and came forward, wiping the sweat off his face with the back of one huge, callused hand.

"So," he said, "I hear you're the young man who saved my daughter."

Regulus acknowledged the fact, trying hard not to stare. He'd never seen a Muggle up close before. Mr. Lupin wore a checkered shirt and jeans. Antonia and Lupin obviously got the blond hair from his side of the family.

"Thank you," Mr. Lupin said, extending a hand. Regulus took it, and Mr. Lupin shook it heartily. "I don't know how I can repay you," he said.

"I couldn't do otherwise," Regulus answered truthfully. "I mean, um, –"

Mr. Lupin was looking hard at him. "You could have," he said. "But you didn't."

"Yes, well." Regulus coughed and looked around. "Um, Professor Moody said you needed help?"

"Ah, yes. If you could come over here –" Mr. Lupin turned and crossed back to the pile of wood. " – and hold this piece of wood straight. I need to nail the two together to form the frame."

Regulus took hold of the rough wood. "Ready."

As they worked, Regulus' curiosity got the better of him. He asked a lot of questions about the Muggle world, how they lived without magic. Lupin's father gave detailed answers, and they were still talking when Mrs. Lupin came out of the hut.

"Supper time!" she called. Upon seeing Regulus, her face brightened. "Regulus – why don't you join us?"

Dinner with the Lupins was unlike anything Regulus had experienced. There wasn't any sort of rigid ceremony about it - no hour of regulatory silence, no formal structure of conversation. Half-way through dessert, he noticed the sun's light leaving the sky. He excused himself, saying he had to take care of some things back up at the castle. As he headed back up the hill, Antonia waved goodbye to him through the window. She turned back towards her older brother.

"Remus, are you all right?"

Remus was looking hard into his half empty glass. He glanced up and gave her a slightly tired smile. "I'm fine, Antonia."

She looked critically at him. "Mm-hm," she said. "You look sick again. Can I get you something?"

"No." He pushed his chair away from the table. "Come on – I wash, you dry."

"Okay!"

* * *

Three days later, school began. Antonia was sorted into Hufflepuff, much to her delight. Regulus did not receive his wand back from Dumbledore. During classes, teachers loaned him a spare wand. He didn't know how many of them knew all the facts about his summer – Slughorn certainly didn't, but possibly Flitwick and Sprout did.

His Dark Mark had not bothered him since that first night. Even so, he kept a small vial of the golden liquid with him at all times – just in case. He didn't want to keel over, gasping dramatically, in Charms class. Every day when classes finished, he went straight to the library or to his dormitory, intent on avoiding as many members of his House as possible. Several of them, he knew, had strong Death-Eater sympathies and/or connections. Besides, he didn't care for the idea of being hexed into oblivion.

Meanwhile, the school-year progressed as usual. The first years wandered the halls, got lost, and eventually found their ways back to their respective common rooms. The older years plodded to class, did (most) of the homework, and hung around chatting in the common rooms long after curfew had fallen.

* * *

The first week came to an end with a Quidditch match. The two teams were Slytherin and Gryffindor (of course), and Sirius, James, and Regulus took up their usual positions – Sirius as one of the two Gryffindor Beaters, James the Gryffindor Seeker, and Regulus the Slytherin Seeker.

The game began. About a third of the way through, Remus noticed that the Slytherin Beaters weren't up to their usual par. They'd missed several Bludgers, all of which narrowly missed Regulus. On the opposite side of the stadium, Severus mentally sighed. Subtle, the Slytherins were not.

On the field, Regulus was silently cursing his luck – or judgment – or both.

Another Bludger zipped towards his right leg. He went into a vertical dive, pulling up at the last possible moment. This threw the troublesome Bludger into a confused whirl.

With any luck, James would find the Snitch soon, and the game would be over. Meanwhile, he planned to _not_ break a limb.

As he came out of a very complicated loop-the-loop, the Bludger recovered and dove again towards his head. He saw something zip in front of him, heard a rush of flapping robes and the roaring of the crowd. Sirius Black sent the troublesome Bludger flying back into the middle of the Quidditch field. Panting, the wind whipping his hair, Sirius turned to face Regulus.

"Watch your back!" he snapped. Turning his broom, he shot off back towards James, who had seen the Snitch hovering above a particular Slytherin Beater. He grinned vindictively and went into a swift dive. The rather dense Beater in question received a hefty wallop across the head as James Potter reached out, caught the Snitch, and raised up a triumphant shout.

"Got it!"

Lily Evans jumped up and down, clapping heartily. James and the rest of the Gryffindors landed on one side of the field, the Slytherins on the other. Although their team had won, James and Sirius refrained from gloating as the two teams came forward and shook hands. They had long since outgrown such infantile behavior. Nevertheless, Sirius couldn't resist a conspiratorial wink at Regulus as they all left the field.

Remus cheered along with the rest of the Gryffindors, noticing that Snape was, as usual, not at all interested in the outcome of the game. He'd left his side of the stadium and come to stand by Lily and Remus. He waited for the volume to diminish, then said softly, "Lily, Remus, would you come down to the Potions room with me? There's something I want to show you."

They left with him, while the stadium emptied and most of the older students sauntered off to Hogsmeade. The younger years milled around. One of them – a young boy with dark blue robes - let out a sigh.

"Well, what do we do now?"

Another young boy, with dark scarlet robes, brightened. "I know! Come on, follow me!"

* * *

Ten minutes later, James and Sirius arrived back in Gryffindor Common Room. James threw his stuff onto the bed and kicked off his shoes. Opening his trunk, he rummaged through it for a set of clean clothes. Sirius did the same thing, but then paused.

"Hey – James – where's your Invisibility Cloak?"

"Huh?" James turned to look at the place where he usually kept it – folded at the bottom of the trunk. It wasn't there. He frowned.

"That's weird – I know I put it there last night – and Remus always asks before he uses it - who do you think-"

Sirius thought for a second. Then he straightened up, took out his wand and the Marauder's Map.

"Peter knew about the Cloak," he reminded his friend. His face was now drawn into an unnerving scowl. "And Peter -"

"-might have told Regulus," James finished.

Sirius tapped the parchment. "Show me Regulus Black," he said sharply. He scanned the map for a few seconds. His eyes narrowed and he grabbed his broom. "He's heading for the Forbidden Forest," he shot over at James.

James was already at one of the windows of the castle, broom in hand. He flung it open, mounted the broom, and was out before Sirius could even blink. Sirius scowled.

"I'll report to Dumbledore then, shall I?" he muttered. He crossed to the fireplace in two strides and notified the Headmaster. Then he took off after James.

* * *

Passing through the halls a few minutes earlier, Regulus had noticed disembodied voices and had put two and two together. It seemed that a group of first-year Gryffindors had thought it would be fun to pinch James' Invisibility Cloak and sneak into the Forbidden Forest. He followed the not-so-subtle giggles and whispers over the grounds. By the time he'd caught up with them, they were already almost at Hagrid's hut. He smirked to himself as he listened to their conversation. They were apparently under the illusion that noise as well as sight was concealed beneath the cloak.

"Go slower! You're stepping on my foot!"

"Quit whining and hurry up! We've only got a few hours to explore!"

"Guys – is this such a great idea? I mean, what if we're suspended, or expell-"

Regulus decided a nonverbal was the best thing to use, seeing as he had no wand. With a snap of fabric and whirl of wind, the cloak went spinning into Regulus' hand. The three first-years gasped, screamed, and jumped around. He gave them an icy sort of look.

"That-" he said sternly, pointing with his other hand towards the looming trees, "is off limits."

They stared at him, eyes wide. One of them, a short, scrawny boy with dark hair, gulped. Regulus continued.

"Now – whose is this?" He held up the cloak.

The short boy stammered out a reply, while the others hung their heads. One of them had begun to whimper.

"P-please don't expel us!"

"It was – a – a joke, really, sir-"

Regulus refrained from rolling his eyes with difficulty. He settled instead for a cough. Immediately, they fell silent.

"We are going back up to the castle. You will then return Mr. Potter's cloak and apologize. Your Heads of Houses will have to be told-"

He ignored the wail of fearful protest that uprose and continued. "-and you'll probably get detention for a week. Now – move."

They began walking back up to the castle. As they strode up the path, Regulus heard a voice call down to him.

"Hey! What're you up to?"

James was hovering above his head, Sirius by his side. Both stared down at Regulus and the sniffing group of first years. Before Regulus could reply, the short boy with dark hair responded.

"He caught us, Mr. Potter. I-I took your cloak and – and – I'm sorry. It was my fault."

His friend, a tall blond boy, stiffened and half-turned around. "Hey, I went along with it. I'm equally to blame!"

The first boy turned red. "Guys, it was my idea-"

The third one piped up. "I didn't object – I-"

"Fine, fine, enough soul-searching already!" Sirius snapped, his eyes scanning the grounds. Seeing nothing suspicious, he turned back towards Regulus, who grinned wryly and turned towards James.

"Potter – I believe this is yours." He tossed the cloak to James, who caught it with the ease of an expert Seeker.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

* * *

The rest of the fifteen days passed without much incident. Antonia helped Snape prepare the potion for Lupin, humming happily while squeezing the juice out of pitch-black seed pods while he cut the Mandrake roots and added basilisk venom to the flames. In short – Snape kept Antonia busy with simple tasks while he preformed the more advanced (and perilous) work.

When Sirius reported the outcome of the incident down at Hagrid's hut, Dumbledore seemed quite pleased. Moody, predictably, had just snorted.

"Watch him," he admonished James, Sirius, and Remus. "Don't let him slip away." So that's what they did.

The full moon arrived. Snape and James went down with Lupin to the Whomping Willow, while Sirius stayed up by Dumbledore's office. The Veritaserum was now ready, and Dumbledore wasted no time in questioning Regulus. Sirius waited in the hall, pacing up and down the great stone corridor nervously. From time to time, he took out his enchanted mirror to contact James. Apparently everything was going fine down at the Whomping Willow. A full half-hour passed. Sirius thought he'd explode from impatience.

When at long last the door swung open, he turned swiftly. Dumbledore stood framed in the doorway, a smile on his face. "Come in, Sirius," he invited. Sirius entered, glancing around the room. Regulus was rising from a chair set directly opposite the Headmaster's Desk. Moody rose from his chair while McGonagall stayed in hers. They'd been seated on either side of Dumbledore.

The younger Black's head turned. He regarded his older brother with an expression Sirius couldn't place. Satisfaction?

"He's telling the truth," Dumbledore informed Sirius. He beamed at the room in general. Moody tapped his stick against the ground while McGonagall uncrossed her hands and stood up. Sirius remained where he was for a few more seconds. Then his face broke into a wide grin.

"Really?" he asked, attempting to sound nonchalant – and failing utterly. Dumbledore twinkled at him and McGonagall smiled. Sirius strode forward and stretched out a hand. Regulus took it. They shook hands for a few awkward moments before Sirius pulled his brother into a hug. Moody rolled his eyes at the sentimentality of the moment, but McGonagall's smile remained fixed genuinely in place.

"Well," she said. "If that is settled – I'm off to bed."

"Agreed." Moody rose and clumped towards the door. Dumbledore waved the lot of them off before shutting the door again and sitting in his great chair. Fawkes crooned happily on his perch. For a bird, he seemed quite pleased.

"Indeed, Fawkes," Dumbledore said, taking a Lemon Drop. "Indeed."


	6. Allegiance

"You're _dead_ certain?"

"One hundred percent. He's on the level."

James' forehead creased slightly. They'd all gathered in the Gryffindor Common Room. It was now four o'clock in the morning. Snape and Regulus had retired to their Common Room only minutes before. Remus and Lily had accepted the news of Regulus' questioning immediately, but Sirius saw that James wasn't completely convinced.

"James, he's on our side!"

"Yeah…" James still seemed doubtful.

"James – Regulus – on our side!"

"I agree, Sirius, it is wonderful," Lupin put in gently, "but let it sink in. James has other things on his mind at the moment." He grinned over at James, whose face had flushed red.

"Shut it!" he shot at Remus.

"Hmm? Sorry guys, I drifted off for a minute there. What did you say, Lupin?" That was Lily, who was sitting cross-legged by the fire, looking quite drained. She'd just finished the final touches to the seating arrangements for the Great Feast before they'd descended into the Common Room and had been valiantly trying not to fall asleep.

"Nothing, Lily, nothing," Lupin answered innocently. Sirius dragged the conversation back to more important matters.

"So, Snape's potion worked, then, Remus?"

"You wouldn't believe it!" Remus answered. Usually, after transformation, he could barely stagger out of the tunnel. This time, he'd been able to walk back up (mostly) unaided. His eyes glowed bright momentarily, then dimmed. His mind was back on the job.

"But, although we're all quite delighted with this new development in the Potions world, I think we were discussing your redeemed brother."

Lily spoke up from her place in front of the fire. "I think-" she yawned sleepily, "I think – that we should talk about it – tomorrow."

They all went to bed shortly afterwards. James stopped Sirius before the top of the stairs.

"Hey, Sirius – I do believe you. I just – want you to be careful."

Sirius nodded his head. "Yeah, I know. But – trust me, okay?"

James' right eyebrow quirked. "You?" He struck an arrogant pose, nose up, chest out. "Never."

Sirius let out a short bark of laughter. It was definitely four o'clock in the morning. They were both as punchy as if they'd had four Butterbeers apiece.

James grinned and began climbing the stairs again. Sirius shoved him in the back, James kicked him in the shoulder, and they ended up crashing through the door of the upperclassmen's dormitory with a bang that woke up six people.

* * *

Down six flights of stairs, in his dormitory underneath the lake, Regulus was having nightmares.

He was standing in his room, frozen in place, listening to screams coming from downstairs. It sounded like his mother. But she wasn't screaming at him – or Sirius – or Kreacher. They were screams of pain.

He tried to move, but his feet seemed glued to the floor. Downstairs, he heard someone utter the words of the Killing Curse. Through the open door of his bedroom, he saw a flash of green light up the stairway that lead to his room. The screaming stopped, was replaced by the sounds of footsteps on the stairs. Closer, closer they came, and all the while Regulus couldn't move, couldn't even scream -

He woke up sweating, his bed clothes tangled around him. That had been definitely the worst one yet. The unspoken fear that had been growing in the back of his mind finally forced its way to the forefront.

What had happened to his mother once the Dark Lord found out that he, Regulus Black, was a traitor?

He lay back down, with his arms crossed under his head. He certainly wasn't going back to sleep now. He had to think.

Over the next two hours, Regulus made his plans. When he told Kreacher of his intentions, the house-elf tried vainly to dissuade him.

"Let Kreacher do it," he'd begged. "Kreacher can go-"

Regulus shook his head. "No. I don't know what might have happened. I'm the Master, remember? I should be able to sense anything they've set up around the house. Besides – if anything happens, I need someone here to know where I am."

"But – can't you take someone with you? The Headmaster – or Master Sirius?"

To tell the truth, Regulus had briefly considered telling his brother or Dumbledore about his plan to visit Grimmauld Place. But upon hearing Kreacher actually say the words, he reconsidered the idea. His pride balked at the thought of running to Dumbledore with every little problem that came up. And Sirius – he'd run out on their mother three years ago. Why would he want to come with Regulus now?

"No. It's best if I go alone."

Kreacher looked so desperately anxious and pleaded so earnestly that Regulus amended his command.

"Fine – you can tell Dumbledore where I am if I'm not back by noon. I'll probably be back long before then."

He sent Kreacher back to bed and remained sitting on his bed for another half-hour, staring off into space. Tomorrow – no, it was five o'clock in the morning – today was a Hogsmeade weekend. He'd leave with the others, slip away, check on his mother, and be back before they even noticed he was gone.

At ten o'clock, Hogwart's gates opened and a flood of excited students spilled out onto the path that lead to Hogsmeade. Regulus heard his brother shouting his name and spotted him over the rest of the crowd. Sirius caught sight of him at the same moment.

"Hey there!" he bellowed, elbowing his way through the throng and falling into step beside him.

"Hey," Regulus answered. Sirius grinned, regarding him.

"You know – considering you've never worn Muggle clothes before, you don't look half bad."

Regulus snorted. He was wearing jeans and a brown shirt. Of course, he was borrowing them from Sirius. He'd never owned anything at all Muggle-related before. Thankfully, the jeans fit just fine, but the shirt still sagged dismally around the shoulders.

All of a sudden, the shirt readjusted itself, shrinking a size and a half. Regulus looked down and realized he could actually see his hands. He and Sirius looked up just in time to see Lily putting away her wand.

"Old household charm," she explained. "I've had some practice with Antonia this last week. How is it?"

"Uh – great. Thanks."

James was by her, holding her other hand. Lupin and Severus brought up the rear of the group, discussing something written by a Muggle philosopher called Aristotle.

"So – what's his view on courage again?" Regulus heard Lupin ask just as they reached the stretch of shops. James and Lily headed off for the sweets store while Remus and Severus headed for the book shop, still talking about Aristotle. Sirius tapped Regulus' shoulder and jerked his head towards the pub.

"Come on – it's on me."

Regulus forced a grin and made a dismissive gesture.

"You go ahead. I'll be right in. I want to – uh, walk around for a bit."

Sirius shrugged and headed towards the door. Once it had swung shut, Regulus turned and meandered casually down the street, ducking into the joke shop before heading directly towards the outskirts of Hogsmeade.

Once he reached the hill where he, Antonia, and Kreacher had landed eighteen days ago, he paused and took a deep breath. He had his wand – he would Apparate, check out the house, and come back. He'd be back in fifteen minutes, tops. With any luck, Sirius wouldn't notice he'd even left the village.

Just then, a shout sounded from behind him.

"Oi – what-"

Regulus spoke the spell before he realized whose voice it was. Sirius came over the crest of the hill just in time to see the Regulus Apparate. He stared for a few seconds at the spot where his brother had been, then whipped out his mirror.

"James!" he barked. James' face came into view. His ears were red.

"What?" He sounded preoccupied. As Sirius told him the news, his face took on a blank, then confused, expression. "You mean – he just-"

"Yeah, he's gone. Apparated."

There was a split second of silence, then James' voice almost broke the mirror.

"How the bloody _hell_ could he have lied – the Veritaserum – "

Sirius cut him off. "Don't jump to conclusions just yet," he grated out. "Alert the others – get back up to the castle. I'm going up there now."

Six minutes and a very fast, impromptu broomstick ride later, Sirius was in the Headmaster's Office, making his report. Dumbledore listened with a somber expression on his face.

"Strange, very strange," he muttered. Sirius asked something that had been lurking in the back of his mind.

"Sir, could the Veritaserum have – I don't know – failed? I mean, Snape's brilliant at Potions, but maybe – "

"No, no, that's impossible. Quite impossible."

"What about – an Imperius curse? I mean – on Regulus. He could be-"

"No, no. I covered every conceivable base when I questioned him. Whatever he's doing now, he's doing under his own free will."

Just then, a pounding on the door announced the arrival of James and the others. As Dumbledore went to open the door, Sirius stared past the window, brow furrowed.

If he were Regulus, where would he go?

* * *

Regulus appeared across the street from his ancestral home at ten-thirty. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he cast Disillusionment over himself and looked around. The house was dead and cold; the lower windows broken, the front door halfway off its hinges. Regulus swallowed hard. The Death-Eaters had been here, then.

Still, that didn't prove anything. His mother might still be unharmed. In a ruined house - with broken windows - which had been forcibly entered.

 _Right_.

The suspicion that had been lurking in his mind ever since his first night back at Hogwarts rose to the forefront of his mind. Could the Dark Mark have been activated by the death of another Death Eater? And if that was the case – might his mother already be dead?

He scanned the front steps for magical tripwires or hidden traps and could see nothing. He didn't hesitate any longer. He crossed the street, climbed the steps, and halted just long enough cast a Shield Charm around his body. Then, taking a firmer grip on his wand, he passed through the doorway.


	7. Consequences

The Ancient and Most Noble House of Black was absolutely dark and silent.

That was the problem. It was too dark. It was still mid-morning - sunlight should have been streaming through the broken windows, at least.

Regulus could hear his heart pounding beneath his ribs. He took a cautious step forward, eyes peering through the gloom. He didn't want to risk a light just yet – maybe once he got further into the hallwa-

The jet-black spell slammed against him with the force of a battering ram. The Shield Charm saved his life, but he was catapulted into the air nevertheless. He struck the far wall hard and fell heavily to the ground.

" _Lumos_!" A voice hissed from the stairway. The lamps came back on, and Regulus saw (albeit with blurry vision) that there was someone coming down the corridor. Head reeling, he tried to get to his hands and knees.

It was then that he realized two very disturbing things: one - his own wand was several inches away - and two - he was completely visible. He tried to dodge the next spell, but his opponent was too fast. A Full Body-Bind enveloped him. He fell backwards, eyes frozen open.

Mrs. Black crossed the rest of the distance easily, her many jeweled bracelets clinking against each other. Glass crunched beneath her embroidered slippers as she came and stood by him.

For the space of half a second, she looked down at her youngest son. There was no discernable expression on her face. As Regulus watched, she took off one of her many rings and wove a silver charm about it. As the spell came to an end, she let it drop.

The Port-Key fell onto his chest. He vanished without a trace. Mrs. Black turned and vanished into back into the darkened corridor. The lamps went out, and silence returned.

* * *

In the main dining hall of Malfoy Manor, Bellatrix was pouring herself another goblet of wine. Next to her, Rudolfus leaned against the table, toying with his wand.

"So," he said. "How's Narcissa?"

Bellatrix put the bottle of wine down with unnecessary force. "She's upstairs. Resting. Headache."

She took a gulp from the goblet and glared at the far wall. "This is so boring – I want to be out there, doing something! Lucius and Barty are lucky – at least they can be at the Ministry during the day. Meanwhile, I have to sit here, stewing like a-"

Something crashed onto the table in front of them. Rudolfus leapt up, startled, and Bella shrieked. "What the-"

She stopped mid-screech. The body on the table was her cousin, Regulus Black. Still holding her wine glass, she approached him, utterly bemused.

"What the devil-" Rudolfus began, but she cut him off with a sharp laugh. He saw her hold something up – a ring with an emerald setting.

"Looks like my dear aunt has sent us a present," she said. Tossing it over her shoulder, she leaned over Regulus.

"So," she asked, eyes glittering. "What are we going to do with you?"

* * *

Back in Dumbledore's office, Sirius was getting more and more frustrated. It was already eleven o'clock – almost a full half-hour since Regulus had disappeared. They'd been in here for twenty minutes, and still no one had any idea where Regulus might have gone or what he was up to. James was leaning against the desk, looking volcanic and muttering darkly. Lily stood nearby, massaging her temples with one hand, obviously thinking hard. Dumbledore sat in his chair, eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. Lupin looked around at them. He was standing near the fireplace, one hand clenching and unclenching nervously. Severus stood by Fawkes' perch, eyes half-shut in concentration.

The phoenix was murmuring in a puzzled sort of way, looking around the room. It was apparently confused. There was a sigh from one of the many portraits lining the room, and Lupin glanced up.

Phineaus Nigellus looked back down at them. "Is my great-great-great-great grandson giving you trouble?" he asked Dumbledore.

"Yes, but it's not the usual one," Severus answered for Dumbledore.

"Really?" Phineaus seemed genuinely curious. "Is Regulus following in your footsteps then, Sirius?"

"No," Sirius said shortly. Phineaus' eyebrow quirked, but Lupin's question cut off his next comment.

"Should we contact the Ministry?" Lupin asked. Dumbledore shook his head.

"Not yet – I want to know exactly what he's up to before I make any-"

A new voice cut him off. "Please, sir – Kreacher knows!"

Sirius jumped and whirled around. "What the – Kreacher – how did you –"

The house-elf stood in the hearth of the fireplace. Lupin was still staring, pop-eyed, at the new arrival. Kreacher looked a real mess – his eyes were red, with great dark circles underneath.

"Kreacher knows where Master Regulus went – he told Kreacher not to tell, but Kreacher couldn't wait!"

"Whoa-" Sirius said. "Wha-"

"He went back!" Kreacher wailed, tears leaking out of his bug eyes and dripping down his nose. The effect was disturbing. "He went back to see if Mistress was all right – he ordered Kreacher not to tell – but – but – " He broke off crying.

"THAT LITTLE IDIOT!" was what Sirius wanted to shout, but he restrained himself at the last possible second. He turned towards Dumbledore, who was already rising from his chair. "Sir – we've got to go – "

"Yes. Immediately. Sirius, you come with me. Remus, fetch Professor McGonagall. Severus, get Professor Moody. Bring them to my office at once. James – contact your father. Tell him that I need to talk to him immediately. Lily – please take Kreacher and fetch Madame Pomfrey. We may need her help when we get back."

He turned to Fawkes. "Tell Aberforth what's happened. Then return here."

He gave Fawkes a note that Sirius hadn't seen him write and turned back to them. "We will all meet back here in fifteen minutes. Now – go."  
As one, they all made for the door. Sirius was about to follow the others, but Dumbledore called him back. "Sirius, take my arm. Think of nothing but where you want to appear. I'll handle the rest."

Sirius blinked. "But – sir – we can't Apparate inside Hogwarts."

Dumbledore smiled briefly. "Well, being me has its privileges."

They Apparated, leaving Phineaus Nigellus alone in the Headmaster's Office. He grumbled, looking around at the empty room.

"Well," he muttered, "I'm not going to just sit here." He got up and passed out of his portrait, leaving the Headmaster's Office silent as a grave.

* * *

When Sirius and Dumbledore appeared outside of Grimmauld Place, the Headmaster cast an Invisibility Charm over them both. Sirius had his wand out, glaring around them.

"Sir," he began, "I don't think-"

"One moment," Dumbledore said. He was looking intently at the wreckage of the front doorway. He squinted, as if in doubt. Sirius saw his eyebrows crease together.

"Oh dear."

"What – what's wrong? Is it a trip-wire – sort of – thing?" Sirius asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"Sir-"

"I'm going in, Sirius. Stay here. If I need you, I'll give you a signal."

"But – " Sirius swallowed. "Yes, sir."

Dumbledore glanced at him, slightly surprised. His eyes creased in a momentary smile, but then he turned back to the cold, dead house and it disappeared.

He strode forward purposefully, wand raised high. As he stepped over the threshold, Sirius held his breath. Nothing happened at first. Dumbledore ventured further into the house, out of Sirius' sight.

Then, without any sound or warning, a shot of jet-black light – almost invisible against the darkness of the house – shot out at Dumbledore. He slashed with his wand, causing it to rebound at the sender.

Outside, Sirius saw a flash of white light, heard a woman scream in fury. He lunged forward, stopped himself. He could hear Dumbledore's voice from inside, shouting something. Another blast of white light lit up the broken windows, but it was different this time. It took the shape of a giant dog.

Sirius took the hint. He put his wand between his teeth, bit down, and changed. A giant black dog bounded up the front steps and into the House of Black, narrowly avoiding another jet-black spell. Dumbledore finally Disarmed Mrs. Black with a third swipe of his wand, and Sirius bounded past his mother up the second flight of steps. He crashed through the rooms, looking for his brother. No luck. He careened back down the steps and came to stand by Dumbledore, eyes snapping with frustrated rage.

Dumbledore kept his wand firmly fixed on Mrs. Black, who was quivering in fury.

"VICIOUS LITTLE SCUM!" she was shouting. "DARING TO ENTER MY HOUSE-"

"WHERE IS REGULUS?" Dumbledore shouted. "I KNOW HE WAS HERE-"

Sirius, still in dog form, noticed something. Regulus' wand was clutched in Dumbledore's hand, and there was –

He looked down between his front paws and stared. There was blood on the carpet. Not much – but –

His gaze shot back up and fixed on his mother, who was still screaming about blood-traitors and the Dark Lord's vengeance. He snarled viciously.

Mrs. Black was in full tirade mode when it happened. The giant dog standing beside Dumbledore turned into her detested elder son. He spat his wand back into his hand and pointed it at her.

She stopped mid-tirade in absolute shock.

"Where – is – Regulus?" he spat. Red sparks shot from the end of his wand, but he fought to control his temper.

Mrs. Black still stared at him blankly. "He's gone." She replied, eyes gleaming oddly in the light. "I have no sons now."

Dumbledore caught Sirius' arm as he began to lunge forward.

"Sirius – we've got to go –"

"But – Regulus-"

Mrs. Black had recovered from her shock. She cast a nonverbal, throwing Sirius to the side. He skidded sideways, landing on the broken glass that littered the floor. Dumbledore grabbed him and half-pulled him back out the door. Mrs. Black made to follow them, but a voice from the stairway caused her to halt in momentary confusion.

"Stop this at once!"

She whirled in place, snatching up a letter-opener from the table by the door. Phineaus Nigellus glared down from his portrait at her. "You're mad, woman. Absolutely mad."

Mrs. Black turned back towards the front door. Dumbledore and Sirius were gone – Apperated. She turned back towards the stairs and approached the portrait, eyes wild, her expression murderous.

Phineaus could take a hint. He left the portrait in haste.

* * *

Dumbledore and Sirius appeared back in the Headmaster's study. Despite Dumbledore's support, Sirius stumbled and nearly fell. His skin burned, and he was pretty sure that there were still glass-shards in his back.

"Sirius!"

That was Mr. Potter's voice. But where – Sirius saw James' mirror propped up on Dumbledore's desk. It showed a view of Mr. Potter's office at the Ministry. James' father was sitting at his desk, staring at Sirius in shock. His black hair was peppered with grey streaks, and his dark green eyes were wide with surprise and alarm. "What happened?"

James, meanwhile, had taken Sirius' other arm over his shoulder and helped him to a chair. Sirius grinned falsely.

"It's not – that bad," he said. Severus snorted in disbelief.

"It's – not," Sirius shot at him, anger racing through him again. "Regulus –"

Madame Pomfrey came forward and examined his back. Her usually pleasant face darkened as she muttered an incantation. Slowly and carefully, she extracted the glass and closed the cuts. To take his mind off of the pain, Sirius listened as Dumbledore explained what had happened to the rest of the group. Moody nodded.

"I figured," he said.

McGonagall clenched her fists. "Oh, that – " she bit her lip.

Lily nodded, green eyes blazing. "Agreed."

"That point aside," Severus said, "what can we do to help Regulus?"

"Do we know what she did with him?" Lupin asked.

A voice from the wall answered him. "Yes."

Phineaus Nigellus looked down from his portrait. All of them, even Mr. Potter's image, looked up at him in shocked surprise.

"She sent him, by way of Port-Key, to Malfoy Manor." Phineaus said evenly. There was a long gash in his robes, but otherwise he seemed quite normal. "I checked there before I went to Grimmauld Place. Where," he added, addressing Dumbledore, "I am - apparently - no longer welcome."

"Are you sure?" Moody asked the portrait. "If you're mistaken, it'll take a bloody lot of paperwork to clear up."

Phineaus nodded. "Yes. He's there."

"Is he okay?" That was Lily.

Nigellus shrugged. "He was alive when I left."

Sirius ground his teeth in exasperation. The portrait was being vague on purpose, he knew it was. "Was he conscious?"

Phineaus glanced down at him. "I'm not sure. It's hard to tell when your cousin Bellatrix is laughing like a lunatic."

Mr. Potter was already rising from his desk. "I'll contact the Minister," he said. "Get some Aurors – "

"Not a chance," Moody barked at him. "Lucius Malfoy is no fool – he'll want an official warrant before he lets you anywhere near his house."

"Not to mention the slight difficulty of proof," Minerva added wryly.

"Right," Moody agreed. "Accuse a high-ranking Ministry official of Death Eater activity without concrete evidence? Waste of time. The boy will be dead long before anyone from the Ministry goes anywhere near that house."

Mr. Potter opened his mouth, but Dumbledore spoke before he could reply.

"Which is why we are going. Henry – do what you can on your end. Back-up would be most appreciated."

Henry Potter nodded. "I'll do my best. Just a warning – Barty Crouch Jr. and Lucius left a few minutes ago. They may also be at the Manor." He got up from his desk, picking up his wand. "Good luck, Albus."

As his image blurred and vanished from the mirror, Dumbledore turned back towards the teachers. "Minerva, Alastor – we will leave immediately. We'll use a Port-Key-"

Sirius nearly fell off his chair. "Whoa – wait –"

James also made a sound of protest. "Headmaster, please, can't we come? There may be a lot of Death Eaters there – and we'll follow your orders to the letter – no questions."

Dumbledore regarded them for a moment. "Absolute obedience?"

"Yes, sir," Remus said. The others nodded vigorously.

The Headmaster thought for a moment. "Yes, yes," he said to himself. "Two teams would be a good idea." He tapped his wand against his left hand, thinking. "No hesitation, mind. If we tell you to leave without us, you leave."

"Yes, sir!" they replied.

"Right," Dumbledore said briskly. "We'll Port-Key into the grounds. We four adults will go in first. If we're not out in seven minutes, you four come in after us. The objective, of course, is to find Regulus and get out." He turned back towards his desk. "Lily, Madame Pomfrey – please alert Aberforth of the situation. He'll be in charge of things until I get back."

"Yes, Albus," Madame Pomfrey replied. Lily only nodded, blinking hard. She shot James a quick look which he returned.

"Just – be careful, all right?" she said to them all.

"You got it," Remus said.

"Yeah," Sirius said, forcing a quick grin. "Not to worry – um, we'll be back soon, and all that."

Severus noticed (with no little relief) that the Port-Key was ready. The seven of them gathered around it. Lily came to stand by Madame Pomfrey. The last thing James saw as they all vanished from the study was her, looking after him.


	8. Storming the Manor

They appeared at the archway that led into the grounds of Malfoy Manor. As Dumbledore slipped his ring back onto his finger, the four Marauders melded into the underbrush. The adults slipped through the gates easily and made for the great house.

Sirius peered between the branches that hid him from view. The house was at least three stories tall, great marble columns and steps leading up to the front doors, which were carved from dark maple wood. It must have been very expensive.

Moody blasted through the doors and was inside before Lupin could even register there had been an explosion. McGonagall followed, wand raised high. Snape couldn't see Dumbledore enter – he'd cast an Invisibility Spell over himself – but a great silver phoenix erupted from an invisible wand and went soaring down the corridor.

Minutes crawled by. James bit his tongue in impatience.

"Come on, come on," he growled. "Remus – how long has it been?"

"Five minutes, thirty seconds," Remus replied. His eyes were half-shut, his ears pricked. "They don't have him yet – they're still fighting-"

Sirius started to sneak forward, but Severus pulled him back. "Wait for it," he said. "Or did you forget the 'absolute obedience' bit?"

Sirius snarled something in reply, but Remus had already gotten to his feet. "Right – it's time. Let's go!"

They charged, through the archway, across the lawn, up the steps, and into the front hall. Blasts of magic greeted them as they crashed through the doors. Smoke curled from scorch marks on the floor and walls, and a haze of magical residue hung heavy on the air.

The three teachers were in what was apparently the grand ballroom, dueling with four-dark robed figures. Green spells lanced from the wands of the Death-Eaters, and the three Hogwarts teachers were hard pressed to survive. James made as if to join in, but Lupin caught hold of his sleeve.

"I think I know where he is! Come on – this way!" Remus started running down the hallway, heading towards the back of the house.

"But-"

"We came here to get Regulus, remember? Come ON!"

The four of them rushed past the ballroom's scorched doors. Snape, bringing up the rear, saw Moody fall and a Death-Eater take aim at him. He dodged inside the room and shot a broiling dark web of magic at the Death Eater, who grunted, convulsed, and fell face-first onto the floor. The others turned, wands raised. He dodged the spells they shot at him and conjured a roiling dragon of flame. A few (almost literally) heart-stopping minutes later, he found himself back-to-back with Moody.

"You – bloody – idiot!" Moody shouted at him as they spun around in a circle, fending off Dark Hexes and Crucios. "What possessed you?"

"You're welcome," Severus replied. Mentally, he was asking himself the same thing.

* * *

Sirius, James, and Lupin had made it to the kitchens before they noticed Snape's absence.

"Blast that little-" James spat, half-turning. Sirius grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him forward.

"MOVE! They're holding them off –"

A blast of red light shattered the wall above their heads. "Scatter!" James shouted. They dove in different directions, just in time to avoid another jet of light. Remus rolled, leapt to his feet, and shot off a Stupefy. It parted the hair on Narcissa Malfoy's head, but she dodged it in time.

"GET OUT!" she screamed, eyes wild. "YOU _–"_

" _Stupify_!"

James' spell struck home. He didn't know whether to feel proud - for having succeeded in putting the enemy out of commission - or ashamed at the undeniable fact that he had just knocked out a girl.

"Get over it!" Sirius shouted, clattering down the stairs after Remus. James shook himself and followed them, still not at all pleased. When he came to the bottom of the stairs, he saw Remus examining a door carefully. Sirius watched the hallway, chest heaving for breath.

As James came closer, he saw that both of his friends were bad shape. The cuts on Sirius' back had reopened, and Remus' hands were torn and bleeding from where the flying stone shards had landed.

"Well?" Sirius hissed over his shoulder at Remus. "Any luck?"

Remus' face was drawn and tense, but he nodded. "The blood trail ends here," he said. "He's in there."

"Wow," James said in a forced joking tone of voice. "Your furry little problem really does come in useful, Remus."

Remus didn't bother to respond. He was muttering a complex string of syllables, tracing his wand around the edges of the door. A golden thread of light traced out the outline of the door, shone brightly for an instant, then receded into the woodwork.

"Right," he said. "Sirius, it's all yours."

The lock shattered and the hinges snapped as Sirius slammed his shoulder against the door. It landed with a crash inside the room. Luckily, there was no one in its way.

Sirius and James leapt into the room, Remus staying outside to guard the hallway. The two of them found themselves in a huge wine cellar. Barrels and vats of wine were lined against every wall. Before their eyes could adjust to the darkness, they heard a familiar voice.

" _Avada Kedavra!_ "

James shoved Sirius to the side and dove towards the ground. The Killing Curse struck the lintel directly above his head, shattering the woodwork. Sirius whipped around, roaring in fury.

"PETER – YOU SNIVELLING LITTLE-"

Peter Pettigrew, who had just moments before shed his Animagus form, shot off another Killing Curse at the pair of them. They separated, taking refuge among the many barrels. Peter laughed and shot another Curse – this time at the door. A net of red and black lines wove itself across the open doorway.

James stole through the gloom, blinking hard. He'd lost his glasses when Peter had fired the first shot. Blood trickled down his face, adding to his difficulty.

 _Bad,_ he thought to himself, trying to hear Peter's next move. _Very, very bad_.

Sirius sneaked from barrel to barrel as stealthily as he could. If he could just find Peter, Disarm him – then they could find Regulus and get out. Lupin couldn't help them in here – at least not until he figured a way past that barrier.

"Come on, Sirius," Peter's voice echoed strangely in the cold room. "Afraid to fight?"

Sirius bit back a savage retort and concentrated on taking note of his surroundings. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the half-gloom, he saw that Regulus lay curled up on the ground not far from him, in the center of the room. One arm was at an odd angle, but otherwise–

The Crucio hit him from behind. He crashed forward, heard James shout something. Dimly, Sirius heard Peter laugh.

"Can't see, Potter?"

An amethyst light shot across the room, knocking James off his feet. He slammed painfully against a wall. As he landed, his wand went rolling across the floor. Sirius snarled something about Peter's parents, and Peter hit him with a Full Body Bind. Then he turned back towards James, who was still trying to get to his feet.

"Don't worry," he said. "There are worse things." He pointed his wand directly at James' face and spoke a word that Sirius had never heard before. A dark spell leapt out, swirling and spinning-

" _Protego_!" Regulus had staggered to his feet, his right arm against his side, James' wand gripped in his left hand. The Shield Charm slammed into Peter's spell, but then something very strange happened.

The dark, swirling spell – instead of simply vanishing – changed direction. Faster than the eye could follow, it turned and literally bit into Regulus' left wrist. He screamed, eyes wide in shock, and collapsed onto his knees. Dark veins started spreading across his hand, hissing and boiling as they sank deeper and deeper into the skin. Peter laughed again.

"Should have studied your Dark Arts, Black!" he crowed.

" _STUPEFY!"_

A double burst of red light sent Peter reeling into the far wall, where he then sprawled comatose. Remus bounded forward, gripping Sirius' wand and his own in one hand. The young werewolf's mouth was grim, his eyes blazing. He helped James up, gave him Sirius' wand, and then hurried over to Regulus.

James limped over to where Sirius lay on the floor and pointed the wand.

" _Finite Incantatem!_ "

Sirius grabbed the hand James held out to him and got painfully to his feet. Then they both hobbled over to Lupin, whose face, already pale, had gone grey.

"Bloody _hell_!" he cursed. "This isn't good."

"What isn't-" James' voice petered out as he got his first real look at Regulus' arm.

The hand was mostly shriveled now, the flesh blackened and charred. It made James nauseous just to look at it. Regulus, thankfully, was only half-conscious.

Remus ran a hand through his hair distractedly. "I slowed it down – sort of – but we've got to get him some real help fast. Otherwise – "

"What?" Sirius thundered. "Otherwise what?"

In answer, Remus pointed. The spell was spreading – the black veins crawling their way up the forearm, towards the shoulder. Sirius took in the sight for about two seconds, swallowed, and nodded.

"Right. St. Mungo's it is, then." He looked around and gave a painful grunt. "Anyone up for Apparating?"

James shook his head curtly. His face, beaded in sweat, creased in frustration, then cleared. "Remus, could you – "

"I don't think I could get all four of us to St. Mungo's."

"Well then," said a new voice from the doorway. "You'll need a Port-Key."

James started in shock, whirling about to face the newcomer, wand up. Narcissa stood by the doorway, gripping the frame. She had a black eye and a hefty bruise on one side of her face, but seemed fine otherwise. In one hand, she held the ring that Mrs. Black had used to send Regulus to Malfoy Manor. It had been enlarged to the size of a large bracelet.

The sound of fighting still raged in the room above. Sirius had thought, once recovered, she'd have gone upstairs to fight Dumbledore and the rest. Apparently he'd been wrong.

Now, faced with the unusual prospect of his cousin offering to help him and his friends escape from Death Eaters, he attempted to say something appropriate.

"Uhh-"

A gigantic explosion sounded above their heads. Bits of plaster rained down on them. Narcissa's eyes went wide in terror, but she came forward nonetheless.

"Here – just activate it – "

She held it out to them. Sirius took it from her gingerly, as if it were a bomb. She continued, glancing over her shoulder nervously.

"It should work for the four of you – "

"Five." That was James' voice. His eyes were as hard as iron. "We're taking Peter with us."

Narcissa hesitated, but a voice – Lucius' – came down from above. "Narcissa!"

She jumped, half-turned. Footsteps sounded on the stairs. She whirled back to face Sirius.

"Quick – stun me!"

He gaped dumbly at her for about half a second. "Um – _Petrificulus Totalis_!"

She stiffened, her wand fell out of her grasp, and she fell backwards. Without further ado, Remus activated the Port-Key. As they vanished, James saw Lucius charge in through the door, and, not for the last time, he blessed the inventor of Port-Keys.


	9. St Mungo's

Due to the temperamental nature of Port-Keys, the brief journey was not a pleasant one. Perhaps it was the fact that the ring had been already used for a Port-Key earlier that morning. Or maybe Mrs. Black's malicious aura pervaded that particular item. Or, maybe, it was the simple fact that this particular Saturday just wasn't his day. Whatever the cause, Regulus landed on his broken arm as the five of them fell onto the floor in the middle of a great stone corridor.

His vision went white for a moment, his already impaired consciousness flickering. He was on his right side, unable to shift his weight off his broken arm. Beside him, Remus groaned and rolled over. James tried to get up, cursed, and slammed a fist against the floor. Sirius released his hold on Peter and kicked him out of the way, getting to one knee.

"OI!" He shouted down the hallway. "WE NEED HELP DOWN HERE!"

Footsteps raced down the corridor, and Regulus saw various shoes and boots came into view. Someone grabbed him by the shoulder and rolled him over – as gently as possible – onto his back.

"Help him first," he heard Sirius tell them. "He's got – something – a Curse – on his arm. It's spreading –"

A bespectacled man came into view. Remus pushed himself into a sitting position. "Doctor, I think I know what it is – "

The doctor saw the arm and recoiled, face blanching. "I'm sorry," he said, taking a step back. "We – we don't – let – _them_ – in here."

" _Them_?" James shot, nonplussed. "What?"

The doctor gestured at the Dark Mark on Regulus' arm. "We don't treat – the Ministry must be contacted before – "

"But-" Remus began again. An assistant cut him off. "It's policy," he said curtly, flicking his wand and starting to move on to Peter. "No exceptions."

Sirius lurched to his feet painfully, grabbing the assistant by his collar. " _Listen_ ," he grated out. "You help him _now_ , or I'll –"

The assistant threw him off, face white. Sirius hit the floor again, and this time he didn't get up. The doctor retreated a few steps, wand upraised. James swore while Lupin forced his exhausted brain to think of something to say before-

With a flash of scarlet light, Dumbledore, Moody, Minerva, and Snape appeared. Dumbledore was helping Minerva along, with Moody assisting Snape. Minerva's hair was turning into snakes and Snape had a nasty gash on one side of his face, but otherwise they seemed to be fine. Dumbledore took in the situation at a glance.

"I'll explain later – just help him."

The doctor glanced between Dumbledore and Regulus, shoulders tense. He hesitated for an instant before examining Regulus' arm again. As he grasped the forearm, the black veins beneath the skin broke apart and the flesh began peeling off.

Regulus was very glad he lost consciousness at this point.

* * *

Some time later, Sirius woke up to find himself in a clean white bed in a sterilized room. He looked around, confused for a second, and then remembered what had happened. He made to leap up and cursed, clutching at his side.

"I wouldn't," McGonagall said from the chair by his bed. She put down her cup of tea. "You broke a couple of ribs. You also have quite a sizeable lump on your head. It would be best if you didn't move for a while."

Sirius regarded her with stupefied amazement, quickly replaced by panic.

"Professor – what the – how long have I been out?"

"For some time. On the plus side-" her mouth twitched. "You're up just in time for the Evening Edition."

She gestured to a paper on the bedside table. It was The Daily Prophet, and the headline was –

"WHAT?!"

Sirius grabbed the paper and squinted, certain his eyes were playing tricks on him. " _Malfoy Manor Attacked_!" he read, and further down the page; " _Ministry Officials Arrive Just in Time to Send Death-Eaters Packing!_ "

He looked up from the paper, utterly confused. "What – "

McGonagall picked up her tea again. "The Headmaster remained invisible for the entire time – and I don't believe the Death-Eaters truly know who attacked them. But I must say, they made up a good cover story. Shifts suspicion off of them onto the mysterious, terrifying force that threatens us all." She chuckled at Sirius' expression. "Rhetoric, Sirius. A powerful little tool."

"How's Regulus? And the others?"

Her face darkened. "Well, that's not so good."

A high-pitched cough sounded from the door. Sirius looked up to see a very toad-like woman slip in through the doorway. She was dressed entirely in pink.

"Minerva, dear, it sounded as if-"

McGonagall got to her feet, smiling falsely. "As if what, Dolores?"

The woman tittered. "Silly me, but it sounded like you were criticizing the Ministry's policies. And as you know – " She stopped and glanced sidelong at Sirius, who still lay back against the pillows. "Is that the brother?"

"Yes, but don't mind him," McGonagall said, waving her hand dismissively. "He's always in here for something – broken limbs, the occasional Hex. He's been out for hours."

Umbridge glanced back towards Sirius, who had taken his cue immediately. He lay against the pillows, eyes closed, one arm sprawled listlessly over his chest, the other hanging over the side of the bed. "Well," she continued, turning back to Minerva, "Death Eaters must be confined. There's really no point in filling hospital rooms with them when they should be in Azkaban."

McGonagall's hand twitched slightly and she shot Sirius a very brief look. He'd stiffened. If his eyes had been open, Minerva knew he would have been glaring poisonously at Umbridge's back. Minerva turned her gaze back to Dolores.

"Dolores, I must say, you have a point."

Umbridge nodded sagely. Minerva took her by the arm. "Why don't you and I go get some tea and chat some more?"

Umbridge glanced back towards Sirius, who had begun to breathe softly and regularly.

"But – what if he – "

"Don't worry about it," Minerva assured her, leading her out of the room. "He couldn't even get up two minutes ago – and besides, why would he take any interest in a Death-Eater? You've heard the stories. Did you know, during one Quidditch Match, he-"

The door shut behind them. Sirius' eyes shot open. Gritting his teeth, he sat up and, using the bedside table for support, got unsteadily to his feet. He'd get to the door, get his bearings, and start searching for Regulus. He still had his Muggle clothes on, which was convenient. Sneaking around a hospital in jeans and a t-shirt would be far easier than if he looked like one of the infirm.

The paper on the bedside table shifted slightly, revealing its other side. McGonagall had scribbled something in the margin – 18C.

He grinned. Professor McGonagall was now, _officially_ , his favorite teacher.

* * *

"What do you mean, they're sending him to Azkaban?!" James shot at his father in disbelieved horror. "We brought Peter back specifically for questioning-"

Henry Potter held up a hand. "I know, I know. But he doesn't have the Dark Mark on his arm. Regulus does. As far as Fudge is concerned, that clinches it."

He drew a hand across his face. "He's a fool – Dumbledore's been arguing with him for hours now – but I don't think Fudge is going to listen."

James gritted his teeth, thinking hard. He was sitting upright in bed, the bandages on his right foot making him feel strangely unbalanced. The ankle wasn't broken – only badly bruised and sprained.

"Okay," he grated out. "But how are we going to stop him from sending Regulus to Azkaban?"

His father glanced at him sidelong. "Well, I can't do much on my end," he said. "But I'm going to take a walk – try and clear my head." He rose and went to the door, turning at the doorway.

"Your mother is coming back from Ireland today – she should be here in half an hour." he said. "So – I'll see you then." A glint in his eyes mirrored that of his son's.

"See you later, Dad."

Mr. Potter left, leaving the door slightly ajar behind him. James took up the package his father had left by his bed and opened it. The Invisibility Cloak rippled out of the paper wrapping and fell onto his covers, along with a slip of paper.

 _18C_.

James grinned and slipped out of bed. He had work to do.

* * *

Remus drummed his fingers against his bed frame, eyebrows furrowed. His mother could tell he was fighting to contain his temper. Antonia was sniffing, her father's arm around her shoulder.

"Mom, Dad – I have an idea."

His father looked closely at him. "Remus – are you thinking of –"

"Yes, but I'll need some help."

His mother made a sound of cautionary protest. "Now, Remus, I'm sure that Professor Dumbledore will-"

"Mom – you saw Regulus. He's in no fit state to be questioned, much less moved to Azkaban. And Dumbledore's been trying, but he can't prevent them from taking Regulus."

Antonia sniffed again. "Mom – please – we've got to try something."

Mr. Lupin looked over at his wife. "It might work. And it wouldn't hurt to try."

"Oh…" Mrs. Lupin sighed. She took out her wand.

* * *

A few rather exciting minutes later, Remus was on the other side of the hospital. His appearance was slightly altered – for one thing, his hair was black, and he was a far taller than usual. He also wore a white assistant's coat and held a clipboard easily in one hand.

Lupin smiled a little as he remembered the hoax his family had pulled off. The Swelling Hex his father had received hadn't been a bad one – he hadn't even looked that puffy – but his family had made a good job of pretending it was serious. Antonia had run around in little circles, flapping her arms and squealing in 'panic', while Mrs. Lupin had run out and fetched the assistant on duty – giving Remus ample time to slip out of the room, borrow the assistant's coat, and disappear into the milling throng of doctors in the main corridor.

Remus had headed straight for the north wing of the hospital. He knew – from what his parents had told him – that he and his friends had been taken to the Recovery Ward, which was situated in the east wing. Regulus, however, had been kept in Room 18C. So – if he hadn't been moved yet, he was still in this part of the building.

Remus had reached the north wing of the hospital and was about to turn a corner when he heard a familiar step. His ears pricked. He stopped short and hissed a question.

"James?"

There was a whirl of movement to his left, and James' head appeared, floating, right by him.

"So – you had the same idea, did you?"

Remus nodded and looked behind his friend.

"Where's Sirius?"

"I don't know – maybe he couldn't-"

Two hands shot out from a doorway and dragged them both inside. James yelped in fright, kicking the figure before he saw who it was.

"You idiot," Snape hissed at him, massaging his leg. He had a lopsided bandage on his face, and looked rather sick – but otherwise, he seemed fine. Sirius stood by him, twitching in impatience.

"Sorry, Sev. How did you -"

"I nearly didn't. Lucius was outside my room, hovering around, but your dad collared him and started talking about Quidditch. I snuck out and – obviously – came here."

"Nice," said James, almost grinning. "You'd think we planned this."

"Quiet!" Remus hissed. Footsteps rounded the corner and they heard Dumbledore's voice.

"Honestly, Cornelius – he's no more of a threat at this point then I am –"

"Albus, if you persist in arguing this point, I'll-"

They passed down the corridor, still arguing. The door squeaked open. The four of them snuck down the hallway, Lupin still in his assistant's coat, the other three crunched together underneath the Invisibility Cloak.

"Right – 18C," Lupin said, checking his clipboard. "That'll be down this corridor."

"Wait!" Snape hissed. "There's probably a guard. We've got to get past them unnoticed - "

"Simple," Sirius said. "Lupin, you'd better scout out the territory-"

But before he could finish, they heard a voice drift down the hallway.

"Not to worry, Alastor," it said easily. "I'll take care of it."

"It's not that I don't trust you, Barty," they heard Alastor reply. "But – well, actually – I don't. I'll be the one who carries out the order."

"Alastor," Barty Jr. said again, in a very cold voice. "Move."

Lupin, who had ducked out of sight, risked a peek around the corner. The two men stood in the hallway, Moody with his back to a door, Barty Jr. facing him. Lupin, pretending to examine the clipboard closely, turned back and related the sight to his three invisible friends.

James sighed. "Right – well, we'll need a distraction or something – "

Sirius' voice, although low, held an unmistakable grin. "Gotcha."

A huge black dog appeared in the middle of the corridor. Lupin nearly dropped in clipboard in surprise. Before he could react, the dog had started jogging down the corridor towards the two men.

"Quick – under the cloak!" Snape hissed.

Lupin ducked underneath the Invisibility Cloak as the chaos broke out. Barking, confused and disjointed yells of surprise, and general confusion reigned for the next two minutes, during which time James carefully steered the three of them into Room 18C. Once inside, Lupin pushed the door gently. As soon as it clicked shut, he locked and bolted it. Snape took out a battered, worn key from his jeans pocket and strode over towards the figure on the bed.

"Right," he said. "I'll take him to Hogwarts – you two get back to your rooms."

"Yes sir, yes sir, Professor," James said with a smirk. He began to mock-salute – but something he saw made him stop. Lupin caught his arm and turned him back towards the door.

"Come on, James. Let's go."

"But is his arm really-"

"Yes. Let's. _Go_."


	10. Recovery

Well before the hubbub in the hallway died down, Sirius had returned to his room and sprawled out on his bed, looking as nobly pathetic as he could stomach. Someone poked their head in to check on him – probably Fudge – and then left again. A little while later, McGonagall came in and told him to get ready to leave.

He looked up at her with a noble can't-you-see-I'm-suffering sort of look, and when she rolled her eyes, he smirked widely. He got up, wincing slightly, and together they made their way to the fireplace. A whirl of powder and a few spoken words later, and Sirius found himself in McGonagall's office.

"You'd better get up to the Infirmary," she told him. "You're likely to be wanted."

Sirius headed for the door, but turned around suddenly. "Hey – Professor –"

She'd sat down at her desk and picked up a stack of papers. She looked up, one eyebrow raised.

"Thanks."

Her mouth twitched. "Yes – well – be off with you, Sirius. I have papers to grade."

* * *

Lily and James were already there when Sirius came bursting through the sickroom doors. They were arguing.

"James, you shouldn't be walking about on that ankle – you should rest-"

"Lily, I'm fine. Pomfrey's busy – I don't need to-"

From his horizontal position on one of the beds, Regulus saw Sirius come scurrying over to stand between them. His older brother blinked in shock when he got his first good look at where Regulus' arm had been.

"Hey, it's not so bad," Regulus said. "I'm right-handed, remember?"

"Yeah…but what about-" Sirius gestured to the black lines on Regulus' neck. They seemed to be creeping up towards his left eye. Regulus shrugged. "Dumbledore's working on it. But what I wanted to say was – um – thanks for coming to get me."

Sirius waved a hand dismissively. "Don't mention it. No really – don't."

Regulus grinned, albeit lopsidedly.

Sirius swallowed and looked around for something to kill. He brightened suddenly. "Hey – Peter Hexed you – he can take it off!"

James sat up. "You've got a point there," he began, a gleam in his eye, but a voice from the doorway cut him off.

"You know, of course, that Peter's disappeared."

"WHAT?!" James bellowed, turning around. Snape leaned against one wall, smirking slightly. He was still quite pale, and the cut on his face, though closed up, had not yet disappeared.

"You heard me. Vanished from under the guard's noses. Nobody knows how-"

"Of course, we do," Remus said, coming into the room and joining the group. He was limping, but his eyes sparked with temper. "He's an Animagus, remember?"

"That little rat," Lily said angrily, her green eyes flashing fire. "I -"

"Well then," Sirius said. "We'd better start looking for him." James nodded, while Lupin and Severus exchanged conspiratorial looks. Lily tapped her foot against the floor.

"I have an idea," she said. "Why don't we all recover from this little adventure first?"

Sirius gaped at her with mock horror. "Recover? From what? These _bruises_?"

He leaned against the bed and made an effort to look nonchalant – which failed utterly when Lily poked him in the ribs and said, in a condemnatory sort of voice – " _Bruises_?"

Remus opened his mouth to reply, but Madame Pomfrey bustled in at this point and, upon seeing their condition, made all four of them get into bed. Lily smiled winningly at James, who smiled back, albeit strainedly, at her.

"Touché," he muttered.

They stayed in the Infirmary all that night – and the next morning. Sirius moaned when Madame Pomfrey told them that she wanted to keep them under observation for at least three days.

Once the Healer had left the room, the four of them resumed their former topic of conversation. Regulus joined at times, but mostly slept.

Lily, stopping by, put her head in her hand as the four Marauders brainstormed about how they would find and abduct Peter in order to force – "Sorry, _persuade,"_ Sirius hastily corrected himself – him to reveal the Counter-Curse.

All things considered, it was a very productive three days.


End file.
